Long Live The King's wife
by AbbyF809
Summary: Red and Lizzie have to go undercover and get in a bit of trouble:)
1. Chapter 1

Here I am again:) Once again I had a new idea for a story which is kind of not thought through yet. So I am really looking forward to the results in every single chapter and what you guys will think of it:)

At that point I would like to talk about something very serious (since the story won't really be;)).

I've read a lot now that people are only watching the show because of Mr. JS and I do adore him for his performance. BUT(there always has to be one;)) :

I am in complete awe about the way Megan is holding her own at his side and I cant see her lacking in anything. She is really talented and obviously I am a BIG fan! I havent known her before the show and within only a few weeks I was looking forward to see her act . So what I want to say here is that I think it is a little bit unfair to say that one is watching only because of JS cause without Megan, the other actors and all the people working behind the scenes, there simply wouldnt be any show. And JS IS a wonderful actors there simply wouldnt be any show airing and I admire Megan for her work alongside him. So that is my homage to a wonderful talented actress who seems to be underestimated by a lot of people.

Alright...so after my sunday's preaching(:)) I would like to start with the prologue to the new story:)

I thought that after the two last stories being very serious and all, I thought that maybe something more relaxing:)

ok...I dont want to talk too much here and just let you read the prologue for now:)

Have fun!

**Disclaimer: **

**I do not own anything of The Blacklist and I am not earning any money with this story!**

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><p>Prologue<p>

"Where, in the name of all saints, have you been, Agent Keen?" Ressler's voice boomed through the office and made Liz jump out of her thoughts. Her head snapped up and she leaned sideways to see through the open door. To her astonishment, Ressler was actually pointing at her and his face was showing nothing but annoyance. Slowly her index finger wandered to her chest and she pointed, questioningly at herself.

"Yes, you, Miss Innocent!" he said, walked into their small office, shutting the door behind him with a loud crash and making Liz scrunch up her face.

"Don't play innocent with me, Liz."

"I have honestly not the slightest idea what you are referring to." She answered, shrugging her shoulders at him, which seemed to make him even angrier.

"You spent the night with him!" he yelled at her. His arms gesturing wildly, making him now look more helpless than anything else.

"Uhm…"

"Don't deny it, I've traced your cell."

"What?"

Her cheeks flared red and her eyes glittered with anger. Since the incident with the cameras in her house, this topic was a sore spot and most of the people tried to avoid it, except Red of course but that was a whole other story.

"I am sorry…" he growled "…but I was worried."

"Worried? About him? Ressler, he only wanted to…"

"No." the resolute answer made her roll her eyes. Why do all men in her life think they can boss her around? It was some kind of curse. Maybe her mother was also one of those women who were gravitating to the wrong men….

"He may only be a small fish in the pond but has the sharp teeth of a piranha and actually WOULD harm every fly on the wall he can spot."

In surprise, Liz furrowed her eyebrows. What the heck was Ressler talking about? Red a little fish in the pond?

"What?" she breathed with annoyance.

"Rondell! I am talking about Rondell, Liz. The little, round man who was reeking of fish and you complained that he was groping you?"

"Oh…" she looked at him dumfounded. "Well…uhm…"

Suddenly he paused with an arm stretched in her direction.

"What is this?"

"What?" again she was surprised.

"This." He drew nearer, bent down to see her face better and his eyebrows wandered skywards. His fingers slowly neared her throat and his thumb brushed over her skin gently and finally ended up touching her cheek with his palm…and Liz flinched.

"Oh this….uhm."

Ressler straightened up abruptly and the anger was back in his face.

"Don't lie. Don't even think about lying, Agent Keen."

Liz' eyes clouded over and she stood up, not quiet reaching eye level with her partner but still feeling better not sitting like a schoolgirl before him.

"I am NOT lying…I am just…"

"What? Bending the truth until it seems appropriate?" He yelled at her. "Reddington seems to be a really good teacher, Liz. And YOU a very good student." He was surprised that she wasn't denying anything. "Where have you been the last few nights?"

"Do you honestly think that I would actually "spend the night" with this creep? Who do you think I am, Ressler?!"

"I wasn't implying anything like that."

"Yes, you were."

"For god's sake, I was worried. I AM worried. The contact was broken off. Reddington wasn't available and you were supposed to be back at midnight yesterday…. but you weren't. What do you think I was doing all those nights? Sleeping like a baby?"

Liz' anger dissipated suddenly and all that was left was a flutter of nervousness in her belly. She licked her lips and her hand found the scar on her wrist, rubbing circles on it. The three months of after she had shot her husband and she had tried to relax hadn't been able to erase this particular nervous tick.

"Nothing happened. I'm ok. Red helped me out."

"Out of where?" Ressler asked, not understanding anything anymore.

Liz cleared her throat, sank back into her chair and watch the man before her.

"If you want to hear the story, you better sit down."

He did as he was told and shook of the warm jacket in which he was starting to sweat.

"And you have to promise me something." She continued, leaning her elbows on her knees, never leaving his gaze. "You can not tell Cooper or anyone else what really has happened, alright.?"

"Liz you can't expect me to…"

"Please."

Ressler inhaled deeply, buying himself time to think about her request. Exhaling sharply he made a decision.

"Alright. I promise. But I have the feeling I will not like this fairytale, will I?"

"Depends on whose side you are. The side of the romantics…or the side of realists and often pessimists."

"Great." He huffed at her, leaning back and preparing for a long tale. "This is already starting bad. You know I hate to choose…"

"I think this one will be….uhm…let's say….easy to choose. Whichever side you're be on."

tbc...

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><p>So? What do you think? Beginning alright?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hi there! Thank you so much for all of your reviews I haven't expected such an amazing response to the prologue!

Now...I won't be able to write or post for the next few days so the next chapter will have to wait until next week. I guess I should be able to work something out on monday and I promise it will be a lot longer:)

Alright, here ya go and I wish ya a lot of fun!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

_One week earlier…_

Agent Keen was late. Really late and everything was the fault of one little kitten that had suddenly appeared on her doorstep that morning. The new apartment she had found in a kind of run down part of the city, was known for dogs straying around but cats she had never seen here before. The little bundle on her foot mat had been huddled into a tight white ball and sleeping. Liz had knelt down and touched the smooth fur with her fingertips. The small head of the young kitten had shot up and a pitiful meow had come from her. At that Hudson couldn't help but trot to the door and see for himself what was making this strange noises. His head squeezed between Liz and the door, looking down and growling lowly.

"Husdon! Stop it. Be polite!" she admonished, but smiled.

The kitten stretched her front paws from her and yawned cutely.

"isn't it sweet?" Liz asked, gushing and stretching her hand out to scratch the small head. The kitten purred, snuggling into Liz' hand.

"I see you found a friend."

The deep voice made all three beings jump and look into the dim light of the corridor. Liz hand flew to her chest, breathing in fright.

"Are you insane?" she huffed.

"Why? Is it such a strange idea to think you found a friend?"

Liz rolled her eyes, shoving one hand under the kittens belly and standing up, with it in her arm.

"Ha ha…"

The footsteps neared her and Hudson's tail started to wiggle in anticipation of a good scratching in the morning. The patting and scratching and caressing began immediately and Liz found herself sandwiched between her happy and wiggling dog and the warmth of the man who had crashed a year ago into her life.

"Red, you're spoiling him."

"He deserves it. He's a good dog….he is guarding you."

"Right…." She scoffed and turned, to walk back into her apartment.

"Are you jealous?" Red chuckled, following her.

"I'm running late." She stated matter of factly, but threw her bag into a corner. She sat down on the brown, worn out sofa and positioned the kitten on her lap. Only seconds later she felt the sofa dip down beside her and Red's warmth once again penetrating her. Was she so cold or was he so hot?

"What's her name?" he asked happily. Liz looked at him with drawn together browns and a scowl.

"It's not my cat, Red. She must have gotten lost or something. I have to hang out some flyers in the neighborhood." She looked back down at the purring kitten and softly stroked her under the chin. "I have a dog and there is no way I could keep her." She didn't sound remorseful…not entirely. Maybe a hint of sadness could be detected in her voice but Red knew that she was a sucker for animals and almost every woman was crazy about kittens, puppies and so forth.

"I told you this neighborhood wasn't good for you."

"Huh?"

"The poor cat has been thrown out for sure and…"

"Stop it, Red. I am NOT keeping her." She paused. "And I am NOT moving in with you!"

He sighed and continued to make Hudson the happiest dog in the morning, scratching him into delirium.

"I have to go." She huskily said, sadly lifting the sleepy cat from her lap and handing it into Red's free one. "You take care of her, if you want to."

"Why, I haven't said that I…"

"Bye, Red! Bye, Hudson! Bye kitten!" with that she smiled at them enchantingly, grabbed her bag and walked out the door, trusting Red to lock it with his spare key. Sometimes she regretted letting herself be persuaded by Red to give the key to him, but his arguments had been quiet logical. With Berlin out there and still haunting them, someone needed to have a key to her flat in case of an emergency and since Red knew more about Berlin and the dangers now present in her life than anyone else, the choice wasn't too hard to make.

Trying not to drive too fast, Liz had cursed at least three times on the way to work and when she finally arrived, she jumped out of the car, almost running into the elevator and collided with Ressler.

"Not so fast." He grumbled at her, obviously already in a bad mood. "You're late anyway. Cooper wants to see you."

"When?"

He made an act out of looking at his watch and frowning. "Half an hour ago."

Liz groaned and leaned back against the cool metal.

"I found a kitten at my door."

"A kitten? That's your excuse? No car problems? No not working alarm clock?" he shrugged his shoulders. "At least it is creative."

"It's not an excuse. It's true." Liz huffed at him, straightening up and waiting for the door to slide open. She felt his gaze on her and she ignored it, not wanting to be questioned further.

Before Ressler could think of another thing to say, the elevator stopped and Liz shot out, in direction of Coopers office. The door was slightly ajar and Liz knocked softly, entering the room after hearing a gruff "Come in, Agent Keen."

"Good morning, Sir. I am really sorry for being late, I just had…"

"Reddington called already. I understand you had to help him with some kind of new Blacklister, who got spooked and took flight. Shame really." He eyed her suspiciously but she kept her mouth shut, sighing inwardly in relief.

"It doesn't matter right now." He finally said. "I have a little assignment for you and Reddington."

He gestured her to sit down opposite himself and she did, lying her bag on the floor.

"There is a man in the city. From a reliable source we know that Reddington had contact with him in the past. We want him. He isn't really important in an international sense but he is important for the FBI. He muddled in our business quiet…disturbingly in the last few months."

"Sooo…what? We have to find him…or..?"

"No. Reddington has to be the bait. John Rondell looks like someone who is sitting in his trailer all day and not doing anything besides watching TV but fact is: he wants Reddington dead."

"Does he know about that?"

"Reddington? No, not yet. You will tell him."

Liz had to fight back the urge to roll her eyes and groan. When she started this job the deal was that Red was only talking to her…no one said that he was only LISTENING to her. For some reason they were using her as a footboy in two directions. Not that she minded to talk with Red…not anymore at least. Their relationship had…evolved after Tom had died. Her point of view had changed slowly but surely and where she had judged him before, now she understood him and sometimes even agreed with him. Of course she would never admit to anyone that this was the case. She assumed that Red knew it already but she wouldn't say it out loud. It would only make him feel even more full of himself and take her for granted and she didn't want that to happen anytime soon.

"…and then you will arrest him for attempted murder and everyone will be happy."

Liz jerked at the word murder and was shocked to realize she had no clue what Cooper was talking about. She had been day dreaming about Red…again. This really had to stop.

"Ehm…"she muttered, thinking of something to say. "Will you give me the orders so that I can show them to Reddington? I don't want him to doubt anything. May cost us a lot of time."

"Of course. I would like to see him later though. I have to give you equipment and assign a team." The answer, allowed Liz to breathe again, but she was questioning Coopers actions to let her talk to Red first when he was planing to meet him anyway. He surely wasn't scared of him, was he? An amused smile worked its way through her frown and she took the full folder from Coopers hand and stood up.

"Keep me updated, Agent Keen."

She knew what that meant. Call when you talk to Reddington, call when he reaches a decision, call when you have a plan, call when you get ready for action, call when action is going on, regardless of what is happening, and call when everything is done. No matter if you are still alive or already dead.

She nodded at him in understanding and made her way out of the room. Walking by her own office, she caught Ressler's gaze and waved at him goodbye. By the time she reached the elevator, he was by her side and asking once again questions.

"What did he want? Where are you going?"

"I am supposed to find a bad guy and Reddington is going to be the bait."

"Mh.." he hummed in deep thoughts. "Something new."

"Yeah…"

"Are you worried?"

"No."

"You sound as if you are worried." He leaned down, to look into her down casted eyes. "You ARE worried." He stated, leaning back, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"What do you expect? This guy isn't a clown in the circus who entertains children for a living."

"Just…let me know if you're ok." He said, now a bit gentler but still firm.

"I will." Liz answered with a smile, walked into the elevator and grinned at him, while she vanished behind the metal curtain.

tbc...

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><p>What did ya think? Please let me know I LOVE your reviews!<p> 


	3. Chapter 2 and 3

I promised monday...and here is monday and the new chapter! :)

I hope you guys will have a great time with it although I think they are slightly AU;)

Whatever, here we go:

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Liz sprinted up the stairs in her apartment building and wasn't happy with herself when she came up on the sixth floor slightly out of breath.

"I really have to stop having so many dinners with Red." She murmured to herself, searching for her keys in her cluttered bag. She stood before her door, still rummaging when the door suddenly opened. Jumping, she almost simultaneously lashed out at the person standing before her, only to end up being pinned against the wall seconds later.

"It's just me, Lizzie. You left me in here, remember?"

"Let me go…" she growled and twisted in Red's grasp until he finally loosened his grip.  
>"Why are you still here?" she asked, bewildered and out of breath.<p>

"I was taking care of your zoo." He gestured behind himself and Liz stepped aside to look at the center of her living room. Her mouth opened and she didn't know what to do. Laugh? Cry? Run away? Slug Red?

In the middle of the room, cat and dog, seemingly already best friends, were tearing apart one of her olive scarfs she had gotten from Tom.

"You let them do that? RED!"  
>Red could see how the red color was creeping up her neck to her face and making her look flushed and very dangerous.<p>

"I told you already, this color doesn't suit you."

She was so close to exploding that she was literally seeing red.

"This was the last thing I had from Tom…!"

"Well, good that it's gone now."

"RED! This is neither funny nor nice! I really don't think that this is an appropriate behavior for a man who…" she didn't get to finish the sentence, because she felt something tug at her black business pants. She looked down and her glare softened immediately. The kitten was sitting at her feet, eyes round like little marbles and a cute little "miau" escaped its throat when Lizzie looked down.

"Ooh." Lizzie gushed and bent down, lifting the fluffy bundle into her arms.

Red turned away from them for a second and snickered at the scene. His Lizzie. Just too cute.

"Now that this problem is obviously resolved, I'd like to know why you are back so soon. Did they fire you because you were late? I thought the phone call would have explained and helped."

"No, in actual fact, they gave us an assignment." She was talking into the kitten's fur and Red had to strain his ears to understand her.

"Assignment?"

"Yeah."

Red frowned. Wasn't he the one who was giving the assignments? That was interesting. He watched her and was wondering why she wasn't telling him anything more. Normally she was very talkative when it came to matters of work.

"What's the assignment?" he finally asked.

Lizzie gestured to her bag with her head, not saying anything and cuddling the kitten further.

Red grabbed the object in question, rummaged through it and smiled when he saw the numerous opened packages of chewing gums. One could think that she was trying to stop smoking. He found the folder and took it out, still smiling.

"You have developed a new nervous habit, sweetheart." He taunted and held up an almost empty package of gums when she glanced at him. The blush was just too sweet and he watched her for a while, squirming uncomfortably.

"Maybe you should join a yoga class or something."

With that, Red popped a mint gum into his mouth, sitting down on the sofa and grimaced, feeling springs poking his behind.

"Lizzie, why don't you let me buy you a new sofa." While he opened the folder, Red watched her reaction to his offer. "You don't want me to buy you a nice new home, so at least a sofa shouldn't be a big prob…." Suddenly he stopped.

"Red?"

He was staring at the picture on the paper and Liz was worried, seeing a vein appear on his temple.

"Rondell is bad news, Lizzie. You should keep away from him." He growled.

"Well…good thing you will be there to protect me then." She replied, letting herself fall on the sofa next to him.

"Darling, I feel honored that you feel safe with me but you really shouldn't get in contact with him."

Liz didn't look at him, patting Hudson with one hand and with the other the kitten who was currently rolling into a ball to fall asleep in Liz' lap.

"I don't really have a choice, Red. Cooper isn't trusting us at all and honestly, I don't want to lose my job. This would be the end of my career as a profiler...hell the end of my career as anyone…I could start searching for a spot under the bridge right now."

"Oh Lizzie, you have no idea what lies beyond the FBI for you…" he paused, not wanting to tell her too much. She wasn't ready yet. "What do they want us to do?" he asked instead.

"You shall play the bait. Something new for us but they want this guy. He's been a pain for the FBI for a few months now and they want him off the streets."

"How am I going to be the bait?" he didn't sound angry. Just curious.

"Everything we have to know is in this folder. I was a bit…preoccupied and failed to catch everything he said." She smirked at him. "Isn't it exciting for you to be for once something else than the big boss?"

He laughed sarcastically and patted her thigh.

"Sweetheart, I will ALWAYS be the big boss. No matter if in chains or free as an eagle." Red scratched the kittens head, adding slightly more serious. "I do prefer the latter, though."

"Me too." Liz whispered and chanced a quick glance at him but he wasn't paying any attention to her, engrossed already in the folder and the details of the assignment.

She felt relief spread inside her belly. She was aware of her growing feelings for him but she didn't particularly want HIM to know about them. Especially since she knew that she was behaving like a little schoolgirl when she was really in love with a man who reciprocated her feelings. As long as she wasn't sure, she was just holding them inside and that was, among other things, the reason why she always had had a really hard time finding the right man for a relationship. She never was the one to make the first step and she guessed that this was the reason why Tom had such an easy game to swoop her off her feet in the end. He was confident without being too harsh and never had a problem to make the first step. In retrospective, he was quiet overwhelming. She had never really been the one to propose something first. Being in a relationship was Tom's idea and she had been so happy that finally someone was noticing her. Of course, he had been the one to propose to her but that was something most women expected from their boyfriends sooner or later. Giving her a puppy for one of her birthdays had been a surprise and of course, she had been over the moon when she had seen the little ball of fluff in the basket, offered to her in the evening. Buying a house was Tom's idea, sounding very nice and tempting so she had agreed without long arguments. Tom had also been the first one to start talking about children and adoption and after a few nights with telling her how great it would be, Liz had finally said yes. She wasn't getting any younger and having a child would be something she had been thinking about for years.

Now she held a kitten in her lap, lived in a small apartment in one of the worst neighborhoods of the city and was in love with the Concierge of Crime. Great. In some sense, Tom's planning hadn't been as bad. She sighed heavily, burying her nose in the white fur again. She must be looking like a little child, she thought but didn't care for the moment.

"You really weren't listening to Cooper, were you?" Red's voice jolted her out of her dark thoughts.

"I told you I wasn't. Why?" she leaned back against the sofa, looking at him questioningly.

Red chuckled, scratching his cheek in happiness or maybe in confusing about what to say. Liz couldn't really tell. She had learned to read his expressions quiet well already but some were still a mystery to her.

"We are supposed to be a married couple."

"What?" she screeched, waking the kitten and making it jump in fright from her knees. She lunged for the folder and started scanning the pages. And really. There it was. They were supposed to be a married couple. But why?

"Red?..."

"I guess the FBI heard about Rondell's penchant for married women."

"Isn't that making _me_ the bait?" her voice was high pitched in worry. She didn't want to be the bait..AGAIN.

"Well…he is killing the husbands to get the women so basically no."

Again, Liz sighed.

"Oh come on, darling. Don't make such a sullen face. Can you imagine how nice it will be to play my wife?"

"A bit sure of yourself, aren't you?" Liz huffed, standing up and searching for the kitten who had hidden somewhere. Hudson followed her, wanting to find his new friend too.

"No, I don't think so." Red mumbled loud enough so that Liz would hear it. He loved to provoke her. It was just the best thing in the world to see her glancing at him with this particular look. Her eyes were glistening and her cheeks were rosy and Red was sure that she was enjoying those little squabbling too. Of course, she would never admit it.

"I really am not surprised at all that so many people are after you, Red."

He grinned.

"Makes my life interesting, Lizzie dear."

He followed her lead and started to search for the kitten. When he caught Liz staring at him, he asked "What?"

"Nothing." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just a bit strange to have the Concierge of Crime crawling around my apartment, searching for a stray cat. Interesting and nice but strange none the less."

"I like cats. What can I say?" He told her, turning away and continuing to look under furniture.

"Aha." He breathed. "There you are. Come on out you little fluff-ball."

He could hear Lizzie walking over to him and kneeling down. Seconds later, her head was next to his and her smile brightened when she saw the cat.

"Hey little one. Come out of there. Hudson wants to play with you."

"Wants to eat her, you mean."

Suddenly he felt a stinging slap on his biceps. She had actually slugged him. It was a decade since someone had dared to do so. He frowned. He wasn't mad. Not even irritated. It was a playful slug and he felt…alive. It sounded weird to his own mind but that's how it was. It felt good to have someone to trust him enough to play around. Someone who wasn't scared out of his mind by him.

When he felt something soft against his cheek, his thoughts disappeared.

"I think she likes you." Lit whispered, watching the cat snuggle against Red's neck. They straightened up and sat on the floor, the kitten crawling on Red's lap. Rad wasn't a person to blush but he felt like blushing when he saw Lizzies look upon himself.

"Close your mouth." He admonished gruffly, plucking the cat from his thigh and letting her fall into Liz' arms. "She's yours. Stop scaring her to death."

Liz frowned deeply at him. She thought he had taken a liking to this little thing but now…he was acting as if it was worse than the pest. Calmly she started to caress the cat and made stupid faces at her. She was proud that she didn't feel ashamed of it.

"You don't know if it is a "her"." She said, taking the opportunity and pulling a face at him too. To her astonishment, his hand raised to her face and his palm cradled her cheek.

"I _know_, Lizzie. Just leave it at that."

"You looked?" she asked with a tad of accusation in her voice.

"Nope."

_A big fat lie, _Liz thought, grinning madly at Red. Both of them jerked when a knock on her door echoed through the room.

"Ah…that's going to be Dembe." Red informed, getting to his feet with a slight groan and a bit of a popping sound in his knee.

"Is he picking you up?" Liz followed him to her door, letting him open it as if he was the owner of this apartment. She smiled softly. Why didn't she have anything against that? Maybe because she felt safe with him and whoever was at the door wouldn't be able to harm her if Red was the one standing in front of her. If it came to protection and safety, Tom never had been THE man. Being an FBI agent, everyone had expected Liz to be the strong and protective one, forgetting that she was also a woman.

The door swung open and Liz saw Dembe, clad in a black leather jacket and black jeans. He nodded at her in greeting and came in.

"Dembe will drive us to the vet. This little thing has to be looked at." Red stated, slipping his arms into his coat already.

"What? But the assignment…"

"Can wait. We have lots of time."

"But Cooper said…"

"Old Cooper has a heart for animals, Lizzie. He would understand." Red took the cat from her, and with one hand gestured for her to hurry up.

_One hour later…_

"How did you know that it is a girl? Are you an expert on cats now too?"

Liz wasn't really angry but she was a little miffed that she hadn't been able to determine the cats gender by herself, whereas Red seemed to have no problem with that. She couldn't help but be competitive. It was second nature to her and she was delighted that Red was willing to play this game with her more and more often. He didn't seem to mind her wanting to be better in at least something than he was. Maybe he didn't mind because he knew she would never be and therefore didn't pose a threat. Or he just didn't care because he suspected her feelings for him…and in this case she didn't pose a threat either. At least she thought and hoped she didn't.

"Not at all, sweetheart. I just have a way with animals. Hudson likes me too."

"Hudson likes everyone who brings treats." She countered, smirking at him.

They had left the vet a few minutes ago with the kitten getting a clean health bill. Everything was fine and she didn't even have fleas, so Liz suspected strongly that she belonged to someone and just had lost her way home. Her head made a jump and a slight pain jabbed at her heart when she thought about giving her back to her rightful owners.

She sniffed a bit, cleared her throat and looked down at the cat, once again cradled in her lap.

"You'll be happy to get back to your owners, right. You're missing them for sure." Although she had whispered, Red had heard her and patted her on the forearm in comfort.

"You don't know if she has owners, Lizzie." He said calmly.

"Red, she is completely healthy and well cared for. Never in a million years has she been a stray." She paused looking at him. "Do you have any idea how Hudson had looked when Tom found him? I'll show you the picture some time."

Red didn't say anything but nodded in agreement. They were driving on for a while in silence, until the shrill ring of Liz' phone cut through it making everyone startle out of their thoughts.

"Keen."

"Agent Keen! Where are you?"

"Ehm…Sir, I am on my way to ehm…"

No lie was coming into her mind that seemed good enough as an excuse. Suddenly her hand was free of her phone and Red's rich voice boomed through the space.

"Hello Harold! SO nice to hear from you again." He drawled sickeningly. "Lizzie just arrived; I was busy and couldn't meet with her earlier. Business…you know how it is." He laughed. For a moment he was just listening and then his arm stretched out to Dembe and he tapped at his shoulder, mouthing "Post Office" to him. Dembe nodded at him through the review mirror.

"We're on our way Harold. We'll be meeting you in around thirty minutes."

He disconnected the call and handed her the cellphone.

"We will visit your Boss, Lizzie."

He stretched his arm to the kitten and began stroking her head.

"She needs a name, you know?" he told her.

"She's not mine, Red. I can't just name her."

"But you also can't call her cat or kitten all the time. It's not nice."

"As if she cares." Liz scoffed at him.

"Hey…" he snapped good naturedly. "She is also a living being. You wouldn't talk to me for days or even weeks if I'd call you "woman"."

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Liz leaned back, putting the half-asleep cat onto her chest and cooing at her. She was a far better talking partner than Red right now.

Chapter 3

When the car came to a stop in front of the FBI building, Dembe jumped out of the car and opened the door for Red. He climbed out, holding out a hand for Lizzie and helped her and the cat out of the car. Dembe shut the door, looked at them and suddenly found himself with a full arm of cat, with Lizzie saying: "Take care of Snow White for me, please." She batted her lashes at him and smiled sweetly, walking away.

Red tried to display a serious face but a smirk was fighting to get through. He patted his friends shoulder.

"Be strong, my friend." He told him, finally smiling, seeing Dembe's scared face.

With a few strides Red caught up with Liz, grinning at her.  
>"Snow White?" he chuckled. "That's so girly."<p>

"You said I should name her so that's what I wanted to name her. You have a problem with that?"

"Nooo." He shook his head. "Not at all."

The glare she gave him, he ignored artistically and just went on.

"Actually, I heard from Sam that you loved Snow White and the seven dwarfs. I remember reading it to my…." He cut himself off. This wasn't the right time for this topic. Once again, he ignored her look, occupying himself to steer her in the direction of Cooper's office.

They knocked and entered.

"Nice to see you again Harold. It was a long time." Red said with a happy but obviously fake smile on his lips. His arms were thrown wide open as if he was greeting a long lost friend but his eyes were saying something completely different. Distrust and apprehension. Calculation and foreboding. Liz shook her head to herself. This could be a dangerous combination and somehow no one was able to see the signs for it beforehand except for her. Well, she was the profiler after all.

"Reddington." Cooper gruffly answered his greeting. "Indeed it was a long time ago I have seen you here. Honestly, personally I don't care. The fewer I see of you the better for my health but the FBI does need your help."

"Of course you do." Red gave him an arrogant half-smile. "How can I help you Harold."

"What did Agent Keen tell you?"

"The basics. What will YOU tell me?"

Cooper sighed.

"I know that you are aware of Rondell's business around town." Red nodded and Cooper continued. "We want him, Red. And since we all know how much he likes women…well…and we know how much YOU like Agent Keen, it shouldn't be a big problem for you to play a married couple tonight."

"Well, Harold…usually I do some dating before I marry a woman…"

"I count all your cases and meetings as dating, so I guess you did enough of that."

Liz groaned inwardly. Did they forget that she was still in the room with them?

"Uhm…I really think…" she tried, but Cooper interrupted her.

"Agent Keen, I am sure that Reddington will…"

"Did your mother didn't teach you that it is rude to interrupt a lady?" Red cut in. Slowly he leaned back, turned his head to Liz and smiled. "Please continue, dear."

Liz cleared her throat gently, feeling very uncomfortable in her skin right now.

"I just wanted to say, that we lack some small details to make us a believable married couple. As far as I know all the criminals that crossed Red's path…and ehm…lived, they are not stupid. He won't just believe that we are married, only because we say it."

"Aaah…" Red breathed. "What do you say, Harold? You have some play things for us."

Again, Cooper sighed heavily and reached under his desk to pull out a square box, sliding it to the pair opposite him. The little box was blue and Liz already knew what would be inside but before she could make a grab for it, Red already had it in his hands and opened. His face pulled into a grimace and he dangled one of the rings in front of his face. Liz couldn't find anything wrong with it Sure, it was a simple band and had a diamond adoring the top of it, which was glistening in the light. But obviously Red wasn't that happy with it. His mimic made him look as if he was holding a dead and rotten fish in his hands and not a diamond ring.

"Dear Harold. You DO know who I am, right?"

Cooper raised one eyebrow, not saying anything though.

"What's wrong with it?" Liz asked, now curious.

Red laughed and handed her the other ring.

"For one…" he said conversationally, "the diamond is fake."

Liz and Cooper looked astonished and both looked at the rings closer. Cooper leaning forward and gesturing Liz to let him see the ring she held between her fingers. "And secondly…" Red continued, sounding almost bored. "I would never buy such an ordinary ring for my future wife. This would be…I don't know…unthinkable. A sin even." Liz looked back at him and was surprised to see him actually being serious.

"My wife would get the best. Something that suits her and would make every other woman in a room vanish in darkness next to her and the symbol of our love. The woman and the wedding band have to be equals. They have to be one."

Cooper and Liz stared at him. Cooper in annoyance and Liz with something similar to astonishment and adoration. But the latter could be simply his imagination, Red thought smirking at her.

"C'mon, Lizzie. I will get you a real ring."

"But I don't need…"

One stern look made her stop in the middle of her sentence and nod at him. This was getting out of hand. She didn't want to have a REAL wedding ring. Not with him. Not with a man she couldn't have. Cooper made it to his feet and called after an already leaving Red.

"You forgot your microphones and GPS-chips."

"We don't need them." Red scoffed. "I will arrange everything to your liking but MY team will lead this investigation." He smiled. "Since I am the one who is supposed to get killed here…well…I think it's alright if I have someone I actually trust watching our backs."

"I want your team to cooperate with the few agents I will send to the position mentioned in the folder. It is a small restaurant, so surveillance shouldn't be too hard."

"One agent. Female. And she will go have a nice dinner with one man of my team."

"Alright."

"Nice making business with you, Harold."

Red waited for Liz to get up and walk over to him. Gently he laid a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the door.

"Oh and Harold." He called before closing the door. "Agent Keen will not be available on her cellphone tonight."

Before Cooper could protest, the doors had closed and the room fell silent.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Hello Snow White." Lizzie cooed, while taking the cat from Dembe's grasp. He watched Liz cuddle the cat with one eye and with the other he eyed the patches of white fur left on his black clothes.

"Thank you, Dembe. I think she likes you." Liz told him, giving him one of her biggest smiles. Who could be angry faced with such kindness and pure niceness? He smiled back, albeit thinly, and started to rub the fur off his shirt. "You're welcome, Elizabeth."

"Call me Liz. Please. I feel a hundred years old when someone calls me Elizabeth."

Dembe nodded, opening the door for her and glared at a smirking Red. He closed the door and Red leaned against it.

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger, my friend." Red whispered.

"Aren't you confusing me with yourself? You got her a cat, Red. That is not your normal behavior."

"Would you mind not talking so loud? I don't want her to know yet. And I am not talking about Lizzie."

Dembe frowned at him in confusion. Red laughed, clasped his friends shoulder and put on his sunglasses. "I am talking about Snow White."

Still chuckling, Red opened the door for himself and joined Liz and the cat in the car, leaving a dumbfounded Dembe in his wake.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"So…" Liz carefully started. "Where are we going?"

"Home."

"Home?"

"Were you planning to take Snow White with you?" Red chuckled.

"Right…" Liz blushed slightly, stroking Snow White and looking out of the window. "You know, Red. I don't really have a good feeling about this assignment."

Red's face became serious and his gaze fell upon her, not moving away until he decided what to say.

"Why?"

Liz sighed. She didn't know how to explain it, but her stomach was turning when she thought about this undercover mission.

"Is it because you are uncomfortable playing my wife?" Red interrupted her thoughts and she visibly jerked out of them.

"What? No…" trailing off, her gaze became distant for a moment. "I don't know why. It's just a gut feeling, I guess. Stupid, I know…"

"It's not stupid." Red told her sternly. She was surprised by his vehemence but she shrugged it off, as one of his mood swings. She eyed him from the side and started feeling even more uncomfortable, when he still stared at her.

"What, Red?" finally she snapped and frowned at the smirk on his lips.

"You are starting to develop an instinct, sweetheart. I am impressed." He looked away shortly and then back at her with an amused look this time. "The way the FBI is wiring your brains in training, I would have expected you to need a little bit longer."

"Well…ehm…thank you. I guess."

"You're welcome, Lizzie. And by the way, you never have been the typical FBI stereotype. You were always…special."

"Didn't exactly help me to get friends…" Liz muttered, starting to stroke Snow Whites fur again. The cat was purring and curling up, pressed against Liz' stomach.

"You weren't there to make friends." Red laughed. "You can make friends and gain accountants when you are at the top. But to get there you have to be ruthless."

"I wasn't ruthless." Liz argued. " I _am _not ruthless."

"I agree. And that is one of the things I value so much about you, Lizzie. In contrast to myself, you found a rather unique balance between being adorable and ruthless."

"So you think of me as…what? A new species to study and learn from?"

"Good grief, no." he exclaimed angrily. "Who put that ridiculous idea into your mind?"

"I…ehm…"

"I assume some of your colleagues couldn't hold their tongue in furious jealousy of your connection with me."

"No…"

"Don't try to protect them, sweetheart."

"No one said anything." She told him. "I guess it were just my…thoughts."

Red glowered at her with his hat hanging deep into his face, making it hard for Liz to gauge his next move.

"I will tell you this only once, Lizzie." He leaned forward and she found herself holding her breath when his proximity became uncomfortable. "You are not an object to me and certainly not merely a pawn in the game. You are much more to me than that and I don't care if anyone says differently about our relationship. I can only hope that someday you will believe me without questioning every single word I say."

His voice had become so deep and emotional, that Liz couldn't hold back a shudder and a gulp.

In the next instant, Red was back in his own seat and looking forward, seemingly not effected at all by his own admissions. Liz drew a calming breath, trying to hide her slightly shaking fingers in the kitten's fur.

The reminder of the drive was silent and when they reached Liz' apartment building, she hesitated.

"Will you wait here?" she asked unsure of what really to say to the brooding man next to her.

"Of course I will." Was his curt answer and with that he turned away from her and looked out of the window.

Liz sighed, opened the door and slowly climbed out of the car. Taking two steps at a time, she reached her apartment quiet quickly. Fending off an overjoyed Hudson, Liz made her way to the sofa and placed the cat on it.

"Alright, Snow White. Be good and don't chew on anything. Especially not Hudson." She gave the cat a smile and quick pat on the head and then she went off into her bathroom to freshen up a bit. She couldn't go pick out a wedding ring with a man like Red and look like a homeless orphan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She doesn't trust you, Raymond."

"Not yet." Red huffed and Dembe had to smirk. Red was acting as if this was a game. But in reality Red's life depended on Liz trusting him. Her own life depended on it.

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"What every man would do. Wine and dine her until she does trust me."

Again, Dembe chuckled. It may be Red's stile to wine and dine women he wanted to bed but it certainly wasn't his way to gain the heart of a woman. Although Red would never admit it, out of fear of endangering Liz further, Red had actually developed sincere affection and deeper feelings for her.

"I would try some heart to heart talking." Dembe suggested wryly and watched Liz coming down he steps of the building. She looked nervous and he had to smile. "Seems like she has pre-wedding jitters."

"Don't let her hear you, my friend." Right after the last word left his mouth, the door opened and Liz let herself fall onto the seat she had occupied earlier.

"I left a bowl with milk and some ham for Snow White. We will have to stop by the store later so that I can get her some cat food."

"No problem, Lizzie."

Again, silence was their companion until they reached a small side street that looked dark and wet and nowhere Liz would have wanted to actually step a foot into.

"Are you sure we are at the right place?"

"What did you expect?" Red huffed.

"Right…"

She followed him outside and along the street and when he stopped in front of an apartment building, Liz frowned.

"What is this, Red? Didn't you want to buy a ring? I am not wearing some stolen or…"

"No worries my dear." Red patted her arm, while walking up the stairs. "I would never ask you to wear something illegal or soiled with blood."

He didn't look back at her, so he didn't notice her grimacing at his back and then shrugging her shoulders in acceptance. What else could she do? There was nothing else left than trust Red he would actually do as he said.

Arriving on the first floor, Red rang the bell and plastered a bright smile onto his face. That made Liz wonder about the relationship Red was in with the person they were visiting. She didn't have time to think more about it, when the door was thrown open and a blonde woman appeared in the doorway. Liz' eyebrows rose in surprise. Somehow, she had expected to see an elderly, round man with small glasses on his nose. This woman was not only slender and sexy as hell but also a few years older than Liz, which made her look perfect at Red's side.

Liz quickly shook those thoughts off. Red hadn't even said hello to her and Liz' mind was already running in directions she didn't want to even peek into.

"Doris!" Red exclaimed reached for the woman's hand, kissing it with seeming delight.

"Raymond! What a pleasure to meet you again." The woman's heavy Italian accent, made Liz narrow her eyes. Her name didn't indicate at all that she was Italian and somehow she was getting the feeling, that Red had something to do with this.

"Let me introduce my fiancé to you."

Liz' gulped and tried not to flinch in surprise. She hadn't been aware that they were already undercover, but as always she took it in a stride, attaching herself to Red's arm and smiling sweetly at the woman in front of them.

"Hi." She squealed at her. "I am so happy to finally meet friends of my darling here." A bright grin almost split her face when she patted Red's chest. "I'm Liz."

"Nice to meet you…Liz." The woman, though polite, didn't seem to be as excited to meet her as she was meeting Red, but Liz simply ignored that fact for now and stored it away for later use.

"May we come in, Doris?" Red drawled. "We are not on a business call as you can see. Lizzie dear would like to look at your rings."

Reluctantly, Doris opened the door wider and nodded at them. While she led the way, she turned around with a squint.

"You are engaged and gave her no ring, Raymond? How rude of you."

"It was a spur of the moment. Imagine us being in a dark cave, not exactly losing our way but in danger to do so any time. The darkness closing in on us and our supervisor going blind suddenly."

Liz could see that Doris was not at all buying this ridiculous story, but was relieved to see her shrug her shoulders and turn her back to them to once again lead the way.

The flat was dark, but Liz had to admit that the woman seemed to have a nice sense of style. Even Liz herself felt at home, although she would have wished to be anywhere but here at the moment.

"So what's it going to be? Ruby, Diamond, emerald?" Doris' voice sounded bored but that didn't stop Red from launching into an excited explanation, which left Liz once again speechless.

"You know I love diamonds, Doris, but for Lizzie here I would like an emerald. You know what they say, they are the stones of queens. And why should my fiancé expect anything less?"

"Of course." Doris agreed in a surprisingly understanding tone. Finally, they reached a door, which was painted in black and the woman opened it slowly.

"I have a few new rings, that you might be interested in, Raymond."

They entered the room and Liz couldn't help but gape at the picture before her. Not only could she see at least five showcases full of jewelry, but also the walls were plastered with hooks, holding necklaces and bracelets. She felt almost blinded when she walked through the room and from every corner there seemed to be light reflecting from the beautiful and surely expensive art pieces. Doris went to one of the showcases, opening it and reaching for one of the rings lying there. Red took it between his fingers and looked at it for a short while, before holding it under Liz' nose.

"What do you think, sweetheart?"

Liz' eyes bulged when she saw the amazing carvings in the golden band and the emerald seemed to be shining back at her. Doris' voice interrupted her musings though.

"I would have thought you wanted to get your fiancé a ruby. Would suit you." She smirked at them and Red laughed.

"Oh Doris. My dear you should know that my fiancé won't need any help with her sexuality or expressing her needs."

Liz felt the ring almost slip from her fingers, but she caught it before someone could notice her mishap.

"I want her to feel balanced." Red continued. "Have hope In any situation of life and never lose the braveness to find new goals and open new door when others close."

Liz glanced at him and had to clear her throat before speaking.

"I prefer the emerald too, Raymond."

She didn't know where it had come from, but her voice suddenly dipped and his name came out husky and flirtatious.

"We would like to see some more." Red smiled Liz and took the ring from her fingers, giving it back to Doris, who was already holding another one to look at.

"This one I've got as a present from my grandmother."

Before Liz could protest, Doris held her hand up.

"No worries, little one. She had a ton of rings and didn't really care about them or who got them. It wasn't really anything personal, this present."

Carefully Liz extended her hand and closed her fingers around the ring. Opening the hand again, she held the object into the light and was enchanted by it in an instant.

"Wow." She gasped.

The band itself was thin, but the gold was building up into a rose, holding the emerald securely in the center. Emeralds of half the size were melted into each petal, making the whole ring look pompous and plain at the same time.

"I think we have a winner." Red whispered loudly to Doris, positioning his hand on Liz back. "I guess that went smoother than I expected. I knew good Doris would find the right ring for you."

"It's…beautiful."

"Just like you."

The blush appearing on her cheeks made Doris chuckle.

tbc...

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><p>Please let me know what you think, cause I was slightly nervous before posting it:)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and fav's! I was once again grinning like crazy!

Here comes a tiny little chappter and I would have prefered posting a longer one, but somehow it didnt fit with the next one the way I wanted it to, so I had to seperate them.

Hope you'll like it anyway:)

Have fun!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for detials, see Prologue)

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Liz was literally boiling, when she came out of the apartment building. With a few huge steps she was at the car and glared at Demnbe.

"Why would he do that?" she hissed, evidently surprising him.

"What?" was his curt question.

"Why would he send me out like a child when it was time to pay for the ring? This is not something you do to your fiancé…this is embarrassing!"

Dembe chuckled, when he saw how worked up she really was over this matter.

"Don't worry about it." He told her. "Girlfriends, fiancé's and wife's are meant to be held out of business matters."

"What? What are you talking about? This was no drug he bought….it was a ring…a RING…for ME"

"Money is business. Business means danger. That is how our world is functioning."

Liz looked at him for a moment and decided to believe him, which didn't mean that she would just let Red get away with such an behavior, but she would need to discuss this further with Red in person.

Just when his name passed her thoughts, the man himself came sauntering out of the building and immediately put his hand on the small of her back.

"Shall we, my dear?"

"Red…we have to talk about..."

"Later."

He ushered her hastily but still gently into the car and nodded at Dembe in silent communication.

"This is really not how you should treat your fiancé, Red." Liz commented wryly, looking stubbornly out of the window. Red's chuckle made her turn slightly though and glare at him.

"It's not funny."

"Sweetheart, I do apologies for sending you away, but you have to understand how my world works first before you can be mad at me."

"Dembe told me already. Money means business and business means danger…but that is not the way this will work, Red. I will not let you just trample over me any chance you get. This is not fair. We are partners. You said it yourself and I can't work with a partner who is not telling me anything."

Red twisted his upper body in her direction and his expression became serious.

"I feel honored and flattered that this topic ignites such fire and passion in you."

"Red, I…"

"No, no…hush Lizzie. I understand completely what your complaint is about and you must forgive this old man, but old habits die hard. I was simply too long in this business to just shed all my habits like a well-worn coat." He sighed, reaching out for her hand and drawing little circles around her scar. "I will try to let you know beforehand if something like this should be expected. Is that to your liking?" His expression hasn't changed and Liz was a little bit concerned that he was actually angry at her. That was one thing she had her difficulties to gauge from Red's expression. Was he angry or just pulling her leg? She decided to simply not ponder it and take his question seriously.

"That would be nice, thank you."

He gave her a sharp nod and sat back into his seat, straightening his suit. Suddenly he started to speak again.

"Would you mind me giving the ring to you already? If we want Rondell to believe you are my wife, it would be convenient to stay simply engaged for at least a day or two."

"I..I don't mind." she whispered

Red let his hand sink deeply into his pocket and produced three small boxes. Liz' eyes followed every single move curiously and she was astonished when Red held two of them in her direction.

"What? Why are there two?"

"Take them, open them and you will see."

Those cryptic answers of his were really going on her nerves but at least she could get the answer by herself this time. Slowly she took the boxes from him and opened the first one, seeing the ring they had chosen. With a sideways glance at a smiling Red, she took the ring out and slid it onto her finger. It felt actually comfortable. After Tom, she had thought she would get sick before she could ever put a ring back onto her finger that symbolized something else than simple fashion. Maybe it was because this wasn't real.

Eagerly Liz started opening the second box, but stopped when she had it already half way open and let it snap shut again.

"You first." She told Red, who was still fingering his own box.

Without argument, Red opened his own box and showed Liz the content proudly. The ring inside was made of a simple golden band, slightly broader than Liz', and had tiny emeralds molded all around it.

"It's amazing." Liz commented and waited for Red to put it on his finger. When he did, both of them smiled and Liz felt like a teenager, doing something her father would never had approved.

"Now open your second box, Lizzie."

Nodding, Liz finally opened the box and gasped when she saw the bright green emerald stone shining back at her. The stone was rather big and encased by gold. Slowly her fingers touched the smooth stone and she pulled it slowly out of its resting place. The necklace attached to the stone was also made of gold and quiet bulky with smaller emeralds attached to it. Liz was speechless. Never in her life had she held something like this in her hands, let alone gotten it as a gift. Tom had been a poor gift giver. Most of the time she would get flowers from him or chocolate. The only time he had given her something more personal, was when he had found Hudson and adopted him as a present. In hindsight, it has been a very clever move from him. What woman could resist a man adopting rescued puppies?

Sam on the other hand, simply didn't have the means to buy her anything too expensive and after turning eight, Liz had understood their situation and tried to talk him out of buying her any gifts at all. Taking her in and raising her had been gift enough for her and still was.

"Do you like it?"

Liz shook her had to clear her mind and gave Red a big smile.

"I don't have words for it, Red. Thank you. It's really beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are."

A laugh bubbled up from Liz' belly and escaped her.

"You did not use that line on me right now, did you?"

"What can I do? I am a man after all."

tbc...

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><p>So what did ya all think?:)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Firstly:** I wanna say: Sorry for letting you wait for so long

**Secondly:** This new chapter may seem kind of strange to you (at least it does to me) and the simple but sad explanation for it, is that I lost my fluffy mood...

You guys know me, I normally am writing action and angst and since I kind of got into this mood of fluff, I thought I would be able to finish the story before it disappeared. But of course my plan didnt work.

I tried to listen to some cheesy music and it was enough to get this chappter done but it may seem kinda forced or something. Well...I guess this will be the last really cheesy chapter and then I will have to get back to my action and angst stuff. No worries, I will try to but fluff in whereever I can(I DO want this story to be different than my ususal once.:))

Alright, that said, I want to thank you all for your support and sticking with the story!(sorry for not thanking you personally, but once again I didnt have too much time and I usually like to take more time answering you guys!) But know this: every single comment, fav' or follow makes me beam with joy and happiness:)(and makes me write faster and more:))

I hope you'll like the chapter at least a little bit and hopefully next one will be better:)

Have fun reading:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

The rain was nothing unusual for late September, but Liz was cursing the weather anyway. Especially since she had forgotten her umbrella at home and now had three shopping bags in every hand, so that she couldn't even hold her bag over her head to protect her hair from the cold water. The market, she had been buying the ingredients for her dinner this evening had become deserted within seconds and Liz was the only one slowly carrying her purchases away from the market place. She was supposed to meet Red in an hour, to discuss further plans about their undercover assignment and had hoped to be finished with the little household work she had left, but the chances were growing slim that she actually would manage that.

Reaching the park she had to cross on her way home, she noticed someone walking behind her, but didn't turn around to see who it was. Probably just an equally poor soul caught by the rain, she told herself and marched on without stopping.

The footsteps behind her grew louder and a shudder ran over Liz' back. Don't be paranoid, she told herself again and again, but when suddenly a tall and dark figure stepped in front of her, she couldn't hold back a surprised squeal and jump back.

"You are Reddington's fiancé, aren't you?"

"Wha…yeah. Who are you?" out of breath and struggling with her own words, she was surprised by the next words.

"My congratulations."

The man's face was hidden under a hoodie and Liz couldn't see his features at all.

"Thank you…" _keep calm, be in character, don't blow this. _"Who have I the pleasure with?"

"A friend. Tell Reddington he should keep closer watch on you. It can be dangerous for a wife of a devil like him. Have a good evening."

Within a blink of an eye, the man was gone and Liz felt goose bumps appearing all over her skin. Briskly she started walking back to her apartment, considering calling Red immediately but finally deciding against it. If someone was still watching her and saw her calling her "fiancé" after this strange encounter, they would figure that she was scared and they could use her as leverage for something they wanted from Red.

Without further incidents, Liz reached her apartment and locked the door behind her, leaning against it and letting out a heavy breath. She had to admit that since Red came into her life, it had gotten certainly more adventurous and anything but dull, but the constant threats, dangers, lies and mysteries were starting to gnaw at her entire nervous system. Before she could keep on thinking, the doorbell rang and Liz jerked away from the door, feeling her palms beginning to tremble slightly.

"Lizzie! Open the door, I know you are in there!" Red's voice held a note of impatience in it and Liz hung her head in relief. Unlocking the door and opening it, she completely forgot that she was dripping wet from the rain and Red actually two hours too early.

"What happened to you? Did you take a shower in your clothes?" Although she could see the amusement in his face, Liz also detected a slight worry in his tone.

"Come in." she told him, not answering his question for now and walking back into the living room.

Red nodded, closed the door and out of instinct or a foreboding feeling, looked around the room suspiciously. Something wasn't right.

"You want to tell me what's going on, darling?"

"I will after I've changed into something dry."

Red relaxed slightly, hearing this. The matter couldn't be too pressing if she was willing to take the time to change. Slowly he wandered further into the apartment and smirked at Hudson cuddled together with Snow White in his basket.

"You know, Lizzie…" he called through the closed bedroom door. "Sam once told me how fascinated you have been by animals. On more than one occasion, you have brought some injured birds, cats or dogs home and actually nursed them back to health. Why have you gone to the FBI? Shouldn't you have become a vet or something?"

The door swung open and Liz almost collided with Red, who was standing closer than she had expected. Not taking a step back though, she looked up into his face and chuckled.

"If I had, I wouldn't have met you and all the secrets you will one day tell me would have been lost to me." She walked past him and added. "and there is just no fun to it when you're not around."

Red chuckled and he would never admit what this answer had caused in his body. A warm, tingling feeling spread from his chest to ever limb and the smile on his face was practically glued on

"You want to hear what has happened, now?" Liz asked while she was pouring water into a kettle for a tea.

Red shoved some magazines from the sofa and sat down, this time mindful of the springs, wanting to hurt his behind. Waiting for Liz to come into the living room, he didn't answer, only waited patiently.

A few minutes passed and Liz came in with two cups of tea and a serious look on her face. Before she started to talk though, she came around the table and sat next to Red, leaning back and sighing.

"I was at the market and on my way home some guy was shadowing me and when he finally stepped in front of me he only was interested in the fact that I am your fiancé." She slugged him lightly on the arm, adding with amusement. "Have you been bragging already?"

"What exactly did he say?"

She watched him for a moment, wondering why he wouldn't answer her question with at least a joke but then told him what has been said.

"Good."

"Good?" Liz almost let her tea cup fall when she heard him say that. "What do you mean by good? I've been stalked, Red. By a creepy guy in a hood who by some kind of miracle already knew about our engagement! A fake engagement that has been established just HOURS ago."

"Calm down."

"I will not calm down! What have you done?"

"I was just sharing the happy news with some friends of mine."

Liz could only gape at him.

"Close your mouth, sweetheart. It was necessary for our assignment. I want Rondell to come to us. And he will. I promise you that."

"I can't say that this makes me feel any better."

"It's not supposed to." Red quipped. "It's supposed to give us an opportunity to meet Rondell on his own terms."

"On his own terms? Red, Cooper said we have to meet him in…"

"Change of plans. Happens sometimes."

"He's going to kill us." Liz groaned.

"Ha!" Red laughed sharply. "Cooper lacks in almost every department to do so."

_Three hours later…._

Dinner has been devoured almost an hour ago and Red was running his fingers through Snow Whites fur repeatedly, while Liz was reading the file on Rondell.

Both were startled out of their silence, when a cell phone started to ring. With a surprised look, Liz turned her head to Red.

"Since when do you have a cell phone?"

"Since I am waiting for a phone call." The short answer was not at all satisfying for Liz, but there was no way she could ask anything else, because Red had put the phone to his ear already.

"Reddington." He answered brusquely.

_"Hello, Red." _The husky voice made Red cringe. He had known the man for years before their respective businesses had crossed and a bitter rivalry had found its beginning.

"Rondell! What a surprise. How can I help an old friend? Or are we still hanging onto old disagreements?"

_"I've heard the rumor that you are engaged. Congratulations are in order, I guess."_

"Thank you very much, but I don't believe that this is a simple social call."

_"You are right. Our disagreement was a long time ago and there is no need to hang on to it. I would like to invite you to a little party of mine. The day after tomorrow. Maybe we could actually do some business together. It can't hurt to have a man of your power on my side."_ The following laugh was not only a notch too high for a man with such a deep voice but obviously not honest either.

"How could I say no to such a nice invitation?"

_"Don't forget to bring your fiancé. I would love to meet her."_

Red disconnected the call and smiled proudly at Liz, who was staring at him.

"We have a date the day after tomorrow, sweetheart. We should consider to prepone our wedding."

_The next day…_

"Do we have to do this, Red? Can't we just fake some papers or something?"

"Where would be the fun in that, Lizzie?"

Liz could only scowl at him and follow into the building, where one of Red's contacts was a practicing priest and Liz had to admit to herself that she was nervous. Saying that it was only because of their fake marriage would be ridiculous, but it was a mixture of that and the anticipation of what was to come afterwards. Knowing their luck, this assignment would go to hell as quickly as she could say "damn" and she knew, that there was nothing she could do about it except hope for the best.

Walking up the stairs, Red and Liz were silent, until a gray haired man stepped through the door and smiled at them broadly.

"Reddington! I still can't believe this! You, finally finding a woman to keep! Congratulations you old dog!"

"Scotty…" Red whined reproachfully. "Such a language in front of a lady? Have I not taught you to show women all respect you can muster?"

"I am sorry. I forgot myself. And you, my child." The man's dark eyes found Liz' with a certainty, she had encountered only in a few people. "What makes you want to stay with him? I am sure there are a lot younger men out there that would suit you just fine."

"But...they wouldn't be Raymond." She answered with a small smile. Red seemed to be satisfied with her answer, since he was reaching behind him with his arm and grasping her hand, pulling her to his side.

"Isn't she a sweetheart, Scotty?"

"That she is. But let's go down to business. I understand you don't have much time to stay?"

While Scotty was leading them into the building, Red told him a nice half-truth about their upcoming departure. Meanwhile Liz looked around the rooms they were walking through and frowned at how spartan they were furniture. When they reached one of the rooms further down the hall, all three of them squeezed into an unbelievably small room with one bookshelf and a bed in it. The nervous feeling in Liz stomach was starting to turn into something more sickening and she instinctively pressed closer to Red.

"Can we make it fast, Raymond?" she whispered and he nodded at her.

"She can't wait to have you off the market, does she?" Scotty laughed and got a book out of the shelf, turning back to them.

"You wanna exchange rings and vows?"

When Red saw the unhappy look crossing Liz face, he chuckled nervously and grinned finally at Scotty.

"We have our rings, Scotty. I would like to say my vow, though. But I don't need Lizzie to do it too. I already know what she feels for me."

"You've got it bad." Scotty laughed and cleared his throat.

"My dear friends, you have come together in this humbled cave of mine, so that God may seal your love. He and his son accept your love and…yada…yada…yada... And so, in the presence of well…me, I ask you to explain your intentions." With a wide arm gesture, Scotty indicated Red to start.

"Well, Lizzie." He started, turned his body to her and smiled. "When we first met…you may not remember this time, because you were too preoccupied with another man."

At that, Liz tried to hold back the puzzlement and frown from her face, but she listened with curiosity to what Red had to say.

"You seemed so fragile at that moment and when I finally had the opportunity to listen to what you had to say, you were more than just that. You were strong, smart but also able to maintain a porcelain aura around you, so that I couldn't help but admire you and the need to protect you became overwhelming. Adoration turned with time to something more and when you finally acknowledged me, I was baffled at how fast I fell for you. I promise to never stop protecting you, no matter what happens, but most importantly, I will do my very best to make you laugh. To make you feel special and loved and everything in my power to make you as happy as you deserve to be. Because you are my air and I couldn't live without you."

A short silence took over the room. Both Liz and Scotty were gaping at the man in front of them, who was supposed to be one of the most dangerous men on earth and who was right now declaring love to a woman in a way that every female wished to experience.

"Well then…" Scotty once again cleared his throat, in confusion this time and was about to proceed with the ceremony, when Liz cut him off.

"Wait. I think I want to say something after all, please."

Red gazed at her in surprise but didn't try to stop her, obviously interested in what she had to say.

"I may not remember the first time we actually met." Red smirked at her pointed look and he knew he would be grilled by her about that later on. "but I do remember our first official meeting and I was stunned to find you sitting in this chair and being so…nice. And although I haven't met anyone else who has perfected arrogance the way you have, I have to admit that I was wrong about some things I've thought of you and I have to thank you for the opportunity you have given me to discover this." She paused for a moment, inhaling deeply and holding her breath for a second before slowly letting it out and continuing. "I wouldn't have fallen in love with you if it hadn't been for your persistence and your nag to open my eyes to every truth you thought was necessary for me to see. Two things I have hated about you in the beginning and in the end they were exactly the things I fell in love with first. Before meeting you, I can now admit to myself, that I have been blind and I promise you for the future to try and stay open, even if what you say may seem…unbelievable." A huff escaped her lips and she blushed. "I promise to cherish every second we have together. Because we can never know which one will be the last."

They were staring at each other, completely obvious to Scotty looking with wide eyes from Liz to Red and back, only shocked out of their own world when he coughed loudly.

"Ehm…that was actually beautiful and ehm…well… What God has joined, men must not divide. You are now husband and wife."

Red sighed and tore his gaze finally from Liz, gesturing to the papers Scotty was holding in his hand.

"I trust you will take care of all the paperwork? We really have to take our leave now."

"Of course I will."

Within minutes, Red and Liz were back in their car and both were scared that the other would actually get the idea to question the truthfulness of their vows. Liz simply felt embarrassed. Standing before him in this dark and nasty smelling room and hearing those beautiful words coming from his mouth, Liz had actually believed him and thought it a good idea to tell him about her feelings. Now she felt again sick to her stomach. Red was an amazing actor and the possibility that his vows were simply a big fat lie was actually quiet big. Liz scratched at her scar and didn't dare to look in his direction.

Although Red had been sure that he wanted to tell her his feeling, he never had expected Liz to spill the beans. He had suspected her developing a "hero crush" on him but mostly just because of all the tight spots they had been in together. He did safe her many times and it was only a natural reaction, but what she had said in her vow was actually indicating something deeper and that made him nervous. Him. The Concierge of Crime. He sighed at himself and at last, turned to her.

"Lizzie, I am sorry if I've made you uncomfortable."

"It's not you." She answered him quietly, not turning around. "I just need a bit of time. You know…"

"I understand completely. Just know that I don't expect anything from you. Only what you are willing to provide."

Liz furrowed her brow but didn't dare to say anything. Had he admitted to telling the truth in his vow? Or told her that he just knew she was in love with him and gave her time to come to terms with him not feeling the same? Through her confusion, she did acknowledge one thing though: he was not pressuring her in any way and willing to wait for her to come to a decision. Patience may be his virtue, but not being in control was one thing he despised.

"Thank you."

tbc...

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><p>Please tell me what you think? Did it seem too forced?<p>

Till next time(chapter):)


	6. Chapter 6

Hey there!

Thank you all for the reviews, follows and fav's! Makes my day everytime!

An important thing I wanted to tell ya guys: I am aware of the fact that Liz has a new attitude in the second season and as far as I can follow thanks to trailers and things people are writing, I love it! I am going to try to write my new fanfictions according to that(at least I will try;)) but I would like to stay in the character Liz has in this story for now. So, just if someone was wondering about that, I wanted to let you know:)

Now...let's start with the new chapter:)

**Disclaimer: **Blackist ist not mine (for details, see Prologue)

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Liz was lying restlessly in her bed, scratching Hudson's head with one hand and Snow White's with the other.

"Do you think I should just ask?" she questioned her two companions. One only huffed and the smaller one yawned.

"So you think I should wait? If I ask, he may think I am too forward. Although he must be aware of the fact that he is the pushiest person in the universe himself, right?"

Silence.

"So what? Wait until after the assignment for sure, but won't that be too late? If he doesn't feel the same it doesn't matter when I ask though. Right?"

Liz raised her head when she felt first Hudson glide from under her hand and jump from the bed and then Snow White following him.

"Great help you two are." She called after them. "Wait till breakfast time comes. We'll see who will open your cans then."

Throwing herself back against the pillow, Liz sighed heavily. This whole situation made her go insane. The thought of the party tomorrow evening was making her even more nervous than the first time she'd heard of it. Sighing again, she finally threw back the covers and stood up. Walking into the kitchen, Liz let herself fall into a chair and reached for some left over bread. Ripping a small piece off it, she stuffed it into her mouth and a third sigh left her mouth.

xxxxxxxxxx

Six hours later found her in a telephone booth and enjoying the blissful silence, while she called Cooper.

"The meeting is going to go down today, Sir. I don't know the location, nor the time."

"Reddington agreed to take a female agent." Coopers voice was booming into Liz' ear and she grimaced.

"I think he is right though, Sir. Rondell would get suspicious if we brought someone else than Dembe and it would have been even more suspicious if Red hadn't agreed to the meeting and then suggested another one."

Liz was seriously questioning herself, why she felt the urge to protect Red, but she quickly forgot the question again, when Coopers voice, once again invaded her already abuse auditory canal.

"I expect you to call in every hour. Or write a sms to Agent Ressler or whatever…I want information every hour and not a second later."

"Yes, Sir."

The click made it clear that Cooper had ended the call and that he was furious. Liz slowly walked out of the booth and shrieked when she felt a hand closed over her wrist. Her blood was rushing in her ears and she tried to twist and move fast to land a punch on her assailants face. In the last second, she redirected to the side and her fist missed Red's smirking face by an inch.

"RED!" she yelled in frustration. She tore her arm out of his hand with anger and groaned.

"Why did you do that? Do you want to give me a heart attack or do you just like to get punched?"

"I didn't do anything, Lizzie." Red smiled. "You just reacted instinctively. Well done."

"What?" Liz asked breathlessly.

"Are you ready to dress up and look beautiful?"

Liz glanced bewildered at her wristwatch, still breathing hard.

"We have still four hours until…"

"You can never have enough time to prepare for a party. Now come. I will show you what Dembe selected for you." While dragging her to the car waiting for them at the corner, Red shot her a short glance before asking. "I assume you didn't tell Cooper where and when we are going to meet our friend?"

"I didn't. Although I think that he might get a nervous breakdown when we keep this up for much longer."

"Poor Harold is sometimes a little overwhelmed by the work with me, isn't he? Maybe I should go easy on him for a while after this."

The laughter in his voice, told Liz that he would not do such a thing and just try to aggravate the man until Cooper finally reached his limits.

The car door closed behind Liz and she was actually looking forward to see what the two men had found for her to wear. She never tried to be a classic dresser like Red was, but she also had never perceived herself as someone indifferent to fashion. She tried to add some new stylish things from time to time but obviously, Red didn't appreciate them as much as she used to.

The car started and they made their way to Red's newest safe house. It was huge and in contrast to his last one, it had massive windows and a light atmosphere all over.

The steps leading to the entrance were seemingly endless and before you reached the door, you had to stop and admire all the rose bushes growing around you. Liz did the same every time she came for a visit and this time was not different. Although roses may not be her favorite flowers, those rose bushes had a magical pull.

Entering the house was as magical as the flora outside. The interior was sophisticated and obviously expensive. It was beautiful. The furniture was in a vintage style and the colors all in very light and warm tones.

"Can I bring you something to drink, darling?"

"No, thank you." Liz answered, getting nervous again. "Let me just try those clothes on."

Red led her to a room on the first floor and gestured her inside.

"The dresses are already hung up in the wardrobe. Select whichever you please first, but call me when you have it on. I would love to see you in all three of them before you make a choice."

He smiled at her and without waiting for an answer, left the room, closing the door behind him.

Waiting for a few seconds and following his steps down the corridor, Liz finally stepped to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Her eyes grew big and her hand wandered, as if on its own volition, to the black cocktail dress. It was a soft material, almost flowing and it was short. Liz frowned at that and shifted her concentration to the other two dresses, which were equally short. Why were they short? Red normally preferred longer gowns on her when going to a meeting, party or whatever. It may have something to do with his classy way of style but Liz suspected he simply didn't want the men they met ogling her too much. Was he thinking that Rondell wouldn't hit on her if she didn't show some skin? _Great, _Liz huffed, started to take the dresses out, one by one, and dumped them all ceremoniously on the bed.

She started with the black dress. Usually her color of choice, but this time she felt as if she was going to a funeral. The dress, although obviously expensive, was just too plain for a party. Next dress on her list was a cream-colored satin dress, which made her look as if she was naked and sick. Her skin seemed paler and her body too thin. Liz started to frown again. Red never chose dresses like that. What was going on? The last dress though, a red colored cocktail dress, fit her like a glove and made her shine in it. The chest area was covered in small, shiny stones, which Liz didn't want to know what they really were, and her stomach was hovered by a glistening satin material. From that, the matt material fanned out and stopped right over her knees. The perfect length and cut to show off her shapely legs but not reveal too much to a hungry man's eye.

Her choice has fallen instantly and now, she also understood why Red had picked such strange dresses. Giving her a choice but not really. This little weasel.

Marching out barefoot and still clad in the dress, Liz called Red's name into the big house. His answering "here" came from the living room and that's where she went.

"You could have simply bought only one dress, Red."

"Wow." Red had turned and the second he laid eyes on her, stopped all movements and drank in the view before him. "You look…no…it's not just beautiful. You combine sexy as hell and beautiful, sweetheart. Forget my earlier statement. I don't need to see the other dresses."

"That's nice of you to say but as sorry as I am, I'm not wearing that dress to the party."

"What?" his face fell and a bewildered look appeared.. Liz had to hold back a giggle and just said: "It's itching me like crazy, you know. Those stones are kind of…I don't know." Demonstratively she twisted her arm and started scratching at her back and pulling a face.

"I am sure we can fix that." She heard Red's almost desperate voice and caught him shooting pleading looks at Dembe, who stood at the window and looked as helpless as Red. Red started to move over to her and when he reached her, his face was a sad mixture of hopefulness and sadness. The moment his hands touched her bare arms, Liz let her arm fall to her side and grinned at him.

"Gotcha."

"Huh?" A priceless look appeared on his face, which made Liz burst in a fit of laughter and out of happiness about her joke, throw her arms around his neck.

"Thanks for the dress, Red, but the next time you have a favorite, just tell me."

With that, she let go of a stunned and still not moving Red and wandered back into the room she came from.

"What just happened, Dembe?"

"She got you good, my friend. And you deserved it, too."

xxxxxxxxxx

The car felt uncomfortably hot and the silence made Liz almost crawl out of her skin. Red was wearing a mouthwatering tuxedo, but she had been able to see it only for a minute before he hopped into the car. Not that she was openly ogling him now, but from time to time a little glance would have been nice. Instead, he had thrown over a thick coat and hid the object of desire from her. They were sitting as far from each other as the car allowed and Liz was confused about it, but before she could delve into deep musings about the reason for it, Red spoke up.

"I would like to warn you, Lizzie. We will have to be very physical if we want Rondell to believe us. He only knows me from my worst side and although he knows that I gained some…well…class, I don't believe he would buy us being married if we sit three meters apart the whole evening."

"Your worst side? You mean, this isn't your worst?" a quip that seemed unfair but she was in a bad mood and she couldn't tell him that it started because she didn't get to enjoy the view of his body in a tuxedo. Especially knowing that she would actually get to touch and see it the whole evening over.

"Oh Lizzie, you don't know the half of it." His smirk was nowhere near pleasant and she swallowed nervously.

"But don't worry, sweetheart. I will keep my promise to you. Nothing will happen to you by anyone's and especially not my hand."

Liz kept quiet. She did believe him but she was aware of the fact that Red was not almighty and although he had eyes and ears almost everywhere, she knew that they didn't reach into every nook of the world and that were the places that people like Berlin were thriving. And those nooks were also present in the location they were going to.

"I do trust you, Red. I wouldn't say that I always understand or agree with everything you do but I do trust you with my life."

Her hand snaked his and squeezed it in reassurance. Sometimes he was as insecure as she felt. Those times were her most favorite with him. Not because she liked to see him insecure but because at those times he was human.

Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination. A little beach club with a comfortable looking lounge. The club didn't have walls and the roof was carried by pillars, so that it actually made it seem quiet safe for Liz. No hidden rooms, no locks or door. Perfect.

"Ready?" Red questioned, still holding her hand and at her nod, got out of the car, walked around and opened hers. Giving her a hand to get out, he wound his arm around her waist immediately and drew her into his side.

"They're already watching, Lizzie. Try to show them how much you enjoy this."

Liz tried to relax at his side but she felt the prickle of eyes on her and she caught a man coming their way.

"Mr. Reddington." He spoke in a Hispanic accent. "Mr. Rondell is awaiting you."

"Thank you. We will follow you." Red answered coolly and smiled at Liz when the man turned his back to them.

Liz wondered why Red was not looking around the club. Wasn't he searching for safe spots, escape possibilities and all that? She tried to hold herself back and follow his lead. He surely knew what he was doing and it made her feel a lot better to know that Dembe and two other of Red's people were positioned outside and observing everything from a safe distance.

She didn't feel her grip on his arm tightening until his hand closed around hers.

"Relax, sweetheart." He whispered into her ear and she willed herself to do so. He patted her for the effort and when they reached steps that were leading outside, she could already hear a man calling Red.

"Reddington! What a pleasure."

The deep voice made her skin crawl, but she smiled when she saw a small, round man opening his arms and drawing nearer.

"Rondell, my old friend. It's been entirely too long!"

Red let go of her, to greet the man with a hug. Liz felt like her mouth was going numb from the fake smile she had plastered on her face, but she forced herself not to let it slip, when Rondell's small dark eyes fixed on her.

"And who might that be? This wouldn't be Mrs. Reddington?"

Ah…I see Scotty had a loose mouth." Red laughed. "May I present you my wife Elizabeth? Isn't she a pretty thing?"

_Don't react to it. Don't glare…_was Liz' mantra through their further conversation, but when Rondell suddenly took her hand, she snapped back into reality.

"I am pleased to meet you. You won't mind me kissing a fine ladies hand, will you?" the question was directed at Red and Liz felt her blood boil. But she smiled.

"Not at all, my friend. At least you're showing some manners."

Rondell's sickly warm lips, made Liz almost gag but she held it back, trying to imagine that it was Red and not Rondell.

"Charming." He huskily said and looked her in the eyes. "Let's go find a drink for you two. We have a lot to talk about."

Rondell turn on his heel and started to walk to the bar that was situated under a huge umbrella. Red came closer to Liz again and took her hand that had been kissed only seconds before.

"I know." He breathed into her ear and leaned back, to gaze into her eyes.

"Let's go."

tbc...

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><p>Let me know what you think about it:)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Hey there:)

A little update before I am off for week in which I wont be able to write. Maybe there will be another update on saturday but I cant promise anything.

Thank you all for reviewing and reading! I was completly blown away by the response to the last chapter and was SO happy!

Now I am not a 100% happy with this chapter cause I seem to have lost my golden thread along the way but wel...we'll see what will happen next:)

Hope you'll like this chapter anyway!:)

Have fun!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Liz was sipping her drink quiet slowly, trying desperately not to make it look as if she didn't like it. Fact was, she did like it, and in her current state, she would have loved to gulp down at least three more of those glasses, but letting herself get tipsy on an assignment was not an option.

An hour had passed and Rondell had already touched her three times in a very inappropriate way, but she had ignored it. She glanced at her watch and excused herself to go to the toilet and call Ressler. She wasn't in the mood to talk to Cooper right now so she chose the lesser evil.

Checking out all the stalls, she made sure no one else was in the room with her and then she dialed.

"Liz, you are fifteen minutes too late." Came Ressler's hard voice over the phone.

"I'm sorry, Ress, I was too busy letting myself be groped by Rondell." Frustration showed in her tone and Ressler's own voice relaxed.

"What's he doing? I may assume that he bought your act."

"Yeah, he did." She grumbled. "I think he is trying to find out how far Red will let him go with me. The moment Red loses his cool will be the moment he strikes. Or at least he will know how to torture him before killing him."

"Did he admit to anything?"

"Nope. Red tried to direct the conversation into those gruesome allies but he wasn't interested."

A chuckle flittered into her ear and she frowned.

"What's so funny, man? I'm being treated like a piece of meat here and you laugh?"

"It's not that." Ressler answered, still laughing. "Knowing Red, his blood must be boiling already and the best ways to kill this man are running through his mind. Hell, he might be even planning them also."

"He is totally relaxed." Liz argued, not wanting to hear, what her partner would tell her next.

"He is possessive, Liz. In normal circumstances, he is watching every man you meet like a hawk, including me. But now? My respect for his acting skills just jumped up a hundred points."

"Very funny. I have to go now."

With that, she clicked the phone off and put it into her clutch. Adding some fresh make up onto her face and breathing deeply, she felt considerably calmer and ready to go back to Red and Rondell.

"Ah, there you are sweet thing. I was starting to miss you."

Liz had seen Red stand up to welcome her back, but Rondell had been fast to follow him and speak before Red got even the chance to open his mouth. She could see his jawline tightening but that was the only indication she got that he was not happy with this situation.

"I had to take care of some women business."

"Oh…make up and all that, right?" Rondell chuckled. "You don't need those things, little one. You are pretty enough."

Liz smiled. She didn't like this guy but hey…who wouldn't be happy about a compliment?

"Thank you." She whispered, threw in a few shy but sexy looks and returned to Red's side. She felt his touch on her back. The warmth seeping through the dress into her skin and she felt better. Safer. But the feeling was destroyed only a minute later when suddenly a warm hand appeared on her bottom. A red hue covered her cheeks and she didn't know herself if it was out of anger or embarrassment and she knew that Red looked right through her still present fake smile.

"So, tell me honey, how did you meet this old man here?" with one hand he squeezed her flesh and with the other Rondell stuffed a piece of cheese into his mouth. Noisily chewing on the food, he spoke again. "Or let me rephrase that. Why did you stay with him."

"Because she knows that I am the best thing that could happen to her."

"I didn't ask you, Red. I asked the lady."

Both pairs of eyes were boring into her and she cleared her throat before answering,

"Well, Raymond is a wonderful man. I mean, what more can a woman wish for that he couldn't give her?"

Rondell's throaty laugh was nothing but disdainful.

"I can think of something a younger man could give you a lot more often than him."

Liz was grateful that she hadn't been eating or drinking anything when he said that. Holding his gaze, she smirked at Rondell.

"Oh well, I always was all about quality and not quantity."

Now Rondell's laugh was humorous and he patted Red on his thigh.

"You found yourself a nice piece of woman, Raymond."

Although those words were supposed to be some kind of congratulations, no one in his or her right mind would believe the man, hearing his tone.

"I guess I did." Red grumbled, showing at least a sign of anger in his eyes. Liz was speechless anyway. How could this man be so rude and grope her like that in front of her husband?

Reminding herself, that it was all a part of their plan she sat there and smothered a flame rising in her belly.

An hour later, Rondell had managed to touch almost every part of her body, except for her chest and Liz was feeling sick now. Again, she excused herself and went into the toilet to call Ressler.

"You sound kind of upset, Liz."

"No, really? This sleaze ball is touching me as if I am some kind of teddy bear and he a toddler."

"Wasn't that the plan?"

"Of course it was. But I don't have to like it, ok?"

Ressler's chuckle made her even angrier and she laid a shaking hand against the cold porcelain sink.

"I hope Rondell is going to make his move soon, because I won't be able to hold my tongue and fist to myself for long."

"Keep it cool, Keen. We need this guy."

_Yeah yeah yeah…_Liz mocked him in her mind and sighed.

"I gotta go. I'll call or write in an hour and if not..."

"What do you mean "if not"? You have _orders _to call every hour."

Liz sighed heavily.

"You know…when he makes his move…I don't think I will be able to excuse myself to go to the toilet every hour anymore. We need a new plan."

"Don't do this, Keen." The warning tone didn't make her nervous anymore. After a year working with Ressler, she could tell his bark from his bite.

"Tell you what…if I don't call in an hour, the plan has moved into real action. Wait for a day."

"24 hours? Are you insane?"

"Rondell isn't a mindless drug dealer in an alley, Ressler. He won't try killing Red in front of my eyes without having taunted him with the fact that he has stolen his wife. It will take time. I will write as often as I can without endangering the assignment."

"Cooper will be unhappy, you know that, right?"

"He will have to live with that."

"Take care, Liz."

"I'll try."

Fife minutes later she was sitting once more in between the two men and was sipping her drink. Rondell's hand was stroking her thigh under the table and Red's arm was slung over her shoulder and she felt trapped. She couldn't enjoy Red's touch when Rondell's hand felt like fire on her skin. Suddenly he turned to her and she almost missed his question.

"Would you like to meet my girlfriend?"

Liz almost laughed out loud when she heard that. Did he really think that she was that stupid? But well, she would play the game and hopefully everything would go accordingly to plan.

"Why not. Do you mind, Raymond?"

Red grinned at her and but she notice the strain behind it and with almost a painful clarity she realized that Rondell had noticed this a long time ago already. This was what they have been waiting for.

"Of course not, go and have fun, my dear."

Liz felt his eyes on her back. Burning into her skin like lasers but she didn't dare to turn around, while Rondell held her hand and led her into a different and darker area of the property.

"You know, I am sure that Red won't mind us having some fun."

"You think?" Liz pressed out through her teeth and noticed a hut like building just a few meter in front of her. No lights around and she was sure that Dembe wasn't aware of this hide out.

"I believe so. You're in for fun, Elizabeth?"

"I guess. Can't hurt to have fun from time to time, right?"

Rondell laughed heartily and pushed open the wooden door to the hut.

"Welcome to my little paradise."

The inside of the hut was actually cozy. A huge bed in the middle of the room and a red carpet on the floor were making the atmosphere warmer than it really was. Liz could also see a lot of candles standing around and she hoped that Rondell wouldn't get the idea to light them. It would made fighting him a lot harder and she wasn't really keen to get trapped in another fire.

"Take a seat on the bed, honey. You will look perfect on it."

Liz went to the bed and while she was sitting down, her brain was reeling. Where was Red? Despite what she had told Ressler, she was wondering if Rondell would try to kill him while making desert out of her or wait until later like they actually had planned. In the latter case, Liz would need to cramp up all her acting skills to get out of this without ruining her cover. Somehow, Red had neglected to tell her what she was supposed to do if Rondell actually wanted to have…well…all the fun at once. Rondell advanced on her and the smirk on his face was sickening. His black hair seemed to be either wet with sweat or bathed in hair gel and his full cheeks were red with excitement. Slowly he reached out a hand to Liz' leg and to her surprise he didn't try to go any further up her thigh but stopped at her knee.

"Well…how would you like this to play out…Agent Keen?"

tbc...

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><p>What did ya think? good? bad? alright? let me know:)<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Hah...I am so proud of myself! THis chapter might be shorter than usual but it hopefully will get you through the next week;)

Please dont mind mistakes, I was really trying to hurry and I didnt have time to reread it more than once!

Thank you so much for all the reviews, fav's and follows on the last chapter! I was so motivated to give ya another chapter before taking off for a week! Thanks to you!

Have fun and "see ya" in a week or so:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Red was drumming his fingers against his thigh, hoping that the bodyguards standing all around the property wouldn't notice his nervousness. This whole evening had been sheer torture. Watching Rondell paw at his Lizzie was bad enough but seeing him taking her away was a step to much for him to stay calm and collected. It was the job, yes, but Red had to admit to himself that he didn't feel his usual cool façade staying in place where Lizzie was concerned. He knew it wasn't safe for either of them to lose his bearings but his stomach was making major flips and sweat was gathering in his palms. Unusual for him but he knew he had to get used to this new development and find a way to play over it.

Ten minutes later he couldn't stay seated in his chair anymore. A feeling of dread made itself known and he knew something was wrong. He hadn't anticipated this evening to go like this. Why was no one coming for him? Why was Liz not back yet? What was Rondell planning? Too many questions, Red couldn't answer and that made him move into the direction he had seen Rondell and Liz disappear. Following a little path, he almost immediately noticed a hut and a soft light coming from it. Slowly he crept up to the window and peered inside. Instantly he had to gasp for air and duck under the window so that Rondell wouldn't see him.

"Damn it." He cursed. Liz had been bound and gagged and was lying on the bed. It didn't seem that Rondell was harboring any plans on "taking her" any time soon, it seemed more as if he was waiting for something.

Just as Liz' mind had been working on overtime only minutes ago, now Red's was trying to catch up with the situation and propel him at least a step ahead of Rondell but somehow the picture of Rondell's hand on Liz' skin was disturbing his train of thoughts. Narrowing his eyes into the darkness around him, Red tried to force his mind to start thinking like it usually did but before he could grasp even one idea of how to precede, two big hands closed around his shoulders and heaved him into a standing position.

"Good evening, Mr. Reddington. I believe it isn't polite to spy on the host of a party."

The deep voice behind Red, made him curse inwardly and he turned around, looking into a tall man's face, who was sneering at him.

"If you call _that _spying, son, you have never been on a mission with my old friend…."

"Shut up!"

Red grimaced when he felt spit hitting his face.

"You should consider installing a splashguard around your mouth."

The man's face turned red and Red laughed.

"What? Truth's uncomfortable for you?"

"C'mon old man." He barked and dragged Red to the entrance. "I have orders. Otherwise you'd be nothing more than a _splash _in the dirt right now."

"Lovely." Red commented and grinned.

The door opened and Red had to squint for a moment because the light was blinding him but than his eyes widened. Rondell had taken a seat behind Lizzie and was holding her against himself with an arm, which was tightly wound around her waist. The other hand was playing with a strand of hair and that made Red bite his tongue to hold back a sharp warning.

"Red! Nice of you to join us."

Rondell's tone was dripping with fake niceness and Liz shuddered. She assumed that Red had no idea that Rondell had somehow found out about her being an agent and simply waited for them to step into his trap.

Her first instinct was to warn Red, to call to him and make him get out of here but when only a strangled gurgle came out of her gagged mouth, she shook her head and felt tears of desperation build in her eyes.

"What is this, Rondell? I may like those little games when I am in private with my wife, but I do not wish to have you present at those times."

"Drop the act, Red." Rondell didn't make any attempt at standing up or letting Liz go. "Do you have any idea for how long I have dreamed about revenge? It is almost embarrassing to admit that it had taken me so long and I was almost about to let it go when _she _appeared." Rondell's nose buried in Liz hair and he licked his lips. "A little bird brought me the massage that you have a thing or two for her. An FBI agent. A pity, but I do have to give it to you…she is a cake."

"I would suggest you let her go, Rondell."

"Or what?"

"Or you won't be safe for the rest of your life. However short it might be."

Rondell laughed, making Liz cringe.

"In this situation you are still threatening me? You have guts, Red." He chuckled again, but this time he stood up, dragging Liz with him. She had to wince when her right arm twisted a bit too far for comfort.

"Who told you about her?" Red asked, ignoring the ball of fire in his stomach.

"Aren't you too nosy?"

"No."

Rondell snorted, but didn't answer. Instead, he caught his bodyguards eye and nodded.

"Put him in the chair and bind him with the rope. I want him to see what is going to happen, but first…Lizzie…" his was calm again. "you have to make a phone call."

Her phone was thrust into her face and she saw Ressler's number already dialed. The gag was yanked out of her mouth and she heard Ressler saying hello to her at the same time Rondell mouthed _time_.

"Hey Ress."

"You're early, Liz. What happened?"

"I am with Rondell now. It will take time though."

"What does that mean, Keen?" the impatience was evident in his tone and Liz swallowed nervously. She glanced at Rondell and he signed _two_ with his fingers and mouthed_ days._

"48 hours."

The humorless laugh on the other end angered Rondell and he nudged Liz not too gently.

"Listen, we need that time and I will have my phone on. I will be back in 48 hours."

"Alright. I will try to not let Cooper get a heart attack and I expect you in the office at midnight the day after tomorrow. God help you if you are not here by then."

Liz was thinking about some way to let Ressler know what was going on, but she was too nervous and only one, fairly stupid thing came into her mind.

"Take care of my dog and the cat, Ressler."

"What? I am not a baby…"

Liz could see that Rondell's patience was wearing thin and she cut Ressler off.

"I don't want Berry eating the cat when they are alone for too long."

The phone was taken away from her and the call disconnected.

"That was stupid, Agent Keen."

With a force Liz had not expected from such a short man, he slapped her cheek and Liz closed her eyes tightly, concentrating on ignoring Red's shouting.

_Meanwhile in the office…_

Ressler stared at the phone in his hand, with an obviously irritated look on his face. Sometimes he didn't understand how Elizabeth Keen had graduated from Quantico at top of her class. But he knew one thing: he forgave her for her little quirks and mishaps, because she did tell him about her dog a few times and he was embarrassed to admit that he, an FBI agent with years of experience, had never been able to remember the dogs name.

tbc...

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><p>Please let me know what ya thing even though it was really short!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

I am back and I know I've let you wait for a bit longer than I intended to but I was really busy and had only an hour or so to write the ninth chapter. Hope you'll like it anyway:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

"You will pay for that, Rondell. I will haunt you down and add one bullet for every single thing you do to her."

"Ha…you will be long dead before you get the chance to do so."

"Don't be mistaken. I will punish you even in death."

Red's voice had become deep and the sound penetrated everything in the room. Liz held back a sob and straightened again.

"Don't bother, Red." She huffed and earned herself another slap, from which she recovered a lot faster than from the first and she faced Red again.

"Don't let him provoke you. He's only trying to…"

Her next punishment was not a slap but a hit with the butt of the gun. She felt her lip break and warm blood dribble down her chin. Her tongue checked out her teeth and she was relieved to find everything still firm in it's place, then she spat blood out and glared at Rondell.

A commotion from Red's direction made her look to the side and she caught a glimpse of Red being hit in the stomach, but she didn't hear him making a sound. Only his body bent forward for a few moments and then straightened again.

"My bird was right." Rondell laughed in amusement. "You have a thing for her and it makes you as weak as a baby." Slowly he walked to Red and crouched in front of him. "The powerful Raymond Reddington slayed by a little and unimportant girl. Who would have thought?" he taunted and looked back at Liz.

"Now let me tell you how this is going to go down. It will be quiet easy. I will have fun with your obsession there and then I will kill you both." Rondell cackled and scratched his stomach. "I don't know how intimate you have been with her, but if you haven't been yet…well…I guess I will fulfill one of your dreams."

Red felt his blood pressure rising when Rondell neared Liz and she was putting on a brave mask. I have taught her well, Red thought with pride but he could see through her façade and saw sheer terror. He remembered their conversation about how filthy she had felt after sleeping with Tom, although she had already known who he was. Red had seen her react differently towards men afterwards and he could only guess what she must be feeling now.

"Get away from her." Came out of him and he felt himself struggling against the rope.

"Don't wanna share, Red? Shame."

"I'm not scared of you." Liz told him calmly. It reminded Red of the way she had spoken to Anslo, while kneeling in front of the box.

"You should be, girl." Rondell sneered, holding her chin between his fingers.

"But I am not. You know why? No matter what will happen, I know that you will suffer. Red will make you suffer twice as much as you let me suffer today. And that…is a promise."

It seemed as if her words had more effect on Rondell than Red's but although he let go of her face, it didn't stop him in further exploring.

His hands wandered over her shoulder and a finger led a path down her chest. When he reached her stomach, he suddenly surged forward and pressed his lips against hers, making her lose balance and fall onto the bed with Rondell on top of her. She felt his moist breath against her skin and the smell of alcohol mixed with mint made her nauseous. When she felt a hand snake under her dress and trail upwards, she groaned and started to kick her bound legs against him. The rushing of blood in her ears drowned every other sound around her although she was aware of Red shouting something and struggling. The man's heavy body was pressing her into the bed and her movements were clumsy, but she managed to hit him with her knee in a thigh and felt hum jolt upright.

"You little…"

Suddenly everything exploded around her. A loud explosion deafened her ears and a red color blinded her eyes. Closing them instinctively, Liz felt Rondell once again fall against her but in her fear, she didn't notice that he wasn't moving.

After a few seconds, her senses seemed to be coming back slowly. She didn't know if she had lost consciousness, but when she started hearing loud voices, she also felt the weight being taken off of her.

"Sweetheart, talk to me."

Nothing. She was lying on the bed and screwing her eyes shut tightly. Her body was tense and she flinched when she felt hands on her thighs.

"I won't hurt you. Relax. It's over."

Liz was surprised to feel the hands pulling her dress back down over her legs and she immediately felt her muscles loose some of their tension.

"Open your eyes." The voice demanded and she tried to open them but it didn't work.

"Dembe, clear the way to the car, I'll carry her."

"Red?..."

Was it Red? What had happened?

"It's ok. Are you hurt?"

When she didn't answer, he breathed an apology and let his hands slide over her body and finally letting a relieved breath out when he didn't find any bullet holes.

"We don't have time for the rope, I'm going to carry you, ok?"

She nodded absentmindedly and seconds later felt a cool breeze graze her flushed face.

Red's chest was solid and his arms were strong, holding her securely and Liz couldn't help but let her head fall against hi shoulder in exhaustion.

"Sorry. He knew who I am:" she whispered.

"It's not your fault." He whispered as he followed Dembe through some bushes and onto a pebbled pathway. Within minutes, they reached their car and Red carefully sat her onto the leather seat, walked on the other side and sat beside her. Immediately he leaned over and grasped her still bound wrists.

"Let's get this off you, what do you say?"

"Gladly." She breathed and watched his fingers slowly working the knots loose and in the end rubbing her wrists to get her circulation going again.

The same ministrations were bestowed on her ankles and she smiled when Red fell against his own seat and finally sighed.

Liz frowned in concern when she looked at him. He looked as if he had gotten at least ten years older in only an hour and was starting to sweat slightly.

"Are you alright, Red?" her hand wandered over to his arm and lightly touched him.

"I'm good." He said but both knew that Red was aware of her knowing that he was lying.

"I know you must be mad, but…"

"Yes I am mad." He snapped. "But not at you. I let my emotions get in the way. They made me blind to so many things regarding this case." He huffed. "So yes, I am mad, but at myself."

Liz didn't answer. She knew that whatever she would say now would not make him feel better. He took his role as her protector very seriously and anything that happened to her, he interpreted as his own failure. So they rode on and Liz tried to hide the nervous stroking of her wrist and the slight tremor of her fingers. Later, she wouldn't be able to explain, why she hadn't called, Ressler to let him know what had happened. Maybe because she was confused herself. She was reliving Rondell's body pressing onto hers and she couldn't get the smell out of her nose. The smell of a sweaty body that was trying to force her to...

She didn't even notice, when Red scooted over to her and enclosed her in his arms. He drew her into his body and winced when her body shuddered against his.

"You're going to be alright. I'm here."

A whimper left her lips and the only thing she could focus on was the fact that she had had been yet again powerless to prevent a man from using her. At least this time it hadn't been her own husband.

tbc...

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><p>Please let mme know what you think!:)<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

I know it's been once again just too long but guys... this week is HALLOWEEN! I am such a fan and I am like cooking and baking and planing and not mentioning the decorating!;) so I am sorry for the delay but I will have to wait another whole year for this wonderful time of year and I am soooo enjoying it:)

But whatever...here comes a slightly longer chapter and I hope you'll enjoy the fluff;)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Red was leaning against the leather seat and breathed in the sweet smell of Lizzie's perfume. She had fallen asleep only minutes after finding a comfortable position against his body and since then, neither Liz nor Red had let go of the other. Her tight hold on him was making Red feel overjoyed about their proximity and her trust in him but also sick, thinking about the reason for it. Liz stirred and pressed her face further into his chest and he smiled. A hand wandered to her head and started a soothing caress in her hair.

"This was close," Dembe's voice informed him matter of factly.

"You can say that."

"Is she alright?"

"As alright as can be expected. " Red huffed and bit down on his tongue to hold back a sharp remark. This situation hadn't been Dembe's fault. A cleansing breath later he added. "You saved us both, Dembe."

When Dembe didn't answer, Red wondered if his friend had something on his mind, but before he could ask, Dembe already answered.

"I know you must be angry that I took the chance of revenge from you, my friend." Both man were silent for a moment. Red cleared his throat softly, before finally speaking.

"You know me too well, Dembe. But for once the feeling of relief is overweighing the sick feeling of revenge."

Dembe couldn't help himself but smile. It has been a long time ago that words like this left his friends mouth. As concerned as Dembe had been in the beginning and as opposed he had been to the idea of Red stepping into Liz' life, now he had to accept the truth and admit that this whole plan of Red's wasn't turning out as bad as he had predicted. His newest plan to use himself and Liz as bait has been a totally different thing. Dembe didn't like to see either of them in pain and now they were both hurting.

Dembe drifted from thought to thought, while bright lights from passing cars made him squint from time to time.

When he started to recognize the streets and knew that they were almost at Red's second safe house, a light rain started to fall and hit the windshield with more and more force. _Just the right weather for our situation, _he thought and sighed.

The car stilled and the only thing loud enough to hear were the raindrops.

"Please prepare the guestroom for Liz, Dembe. We will follow you shorty."

Dembe nodded, left the car and disappeared in the dark building.

Red slowly twisted his head to the side and watched Liz' chest rise and fall with every breath, thankful for the opportunity to see her still alive. His fingers hadn't stopped caressing her hair, but now he withdrew and shifted her a bit in his arms to look into her face.

"Sweetheart." His soft calling didn't show any effect and he smirked. "Lizzie, you have to wake up now, my old bones are not steady enough to carry you again."

She stirred and a slurred "y'not old." drifted into his ears, making him smile contently.

"Whatever the cause, darling, I can't carry you." His stern voice was betrayed by a soft look in his eyes and that was the first thing Liz saw, when she pried her eyes open.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you."

"I didn't mind one bit." Red smiled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before opening the door. Walking around the car, he made it to Liz' just when she opened the door and attempted to get out. Immediately Red reached for her arm and steadied her as if he was afraid that she would simply fall to the ground without help. And maybe she would have, but his presence gave her strength and Liz sent him a grateful look. Slowly she looked around and a frown appeared on her face.

"Where are we?"

"Don't worry. It's one of my safe houses."

"I thought…"

"You know that I have more than one, Lizzie."

Liz nodded and simply followed him, while he led her to the entrance.

The moment the heavy door closed behind them, Liz flinched and suddenly a thought crossed her mind.

"Ressler. I have to call him. He needs to know what happened…Cooper will…"

With one hand she rummaged chaotically through her bag and only stopped rambling and searching when Red's hand closed around hers and pulled it out.

"It can wait. You need rest. _We _need some rest."

The calm, deep voice had an unbelievable effect on her tussled mind. Almost like a hypnosis but not quiet. She did have her own free will still, but she didn't want to disobey. The prospect of a bed, warm sheets and most importantly calmness was luring her in. She just wanted to close her eyes and forget what had happened for a while. And if someone could help her forget, it would be Red.

"They will search for us." She argued without any passion behind her words and looking at the floor.

"They won't"

Her head snapped up and she looked at him questioningly.

"You told Ressler to wait, remember?"

"Oh." With the realization came the exhaustion back. "I'd like to sleep now, Red."

"And you will. Follow me."

Red led the way to a medium sized bedroom and watched Liz climb into the king sized bed. The moment her head hit the soft material of the pillow, she was asleep and Red softly smiled. He walked over to her and gently pulled the shoes from her feet, placing them neatly next to the bed and covered her with the fluffy cover. A few seconds ticked by in which Red couldn't tear his eyes from Liz' face. When he saw the frown appear, he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. His lips lingered for a moment too long and he drew back to see if he hadn't woken her up. But she slept on. Frown gone and now resting peacefully, forgetting that there was evil out there that could hurt her. At least for the moment.

_Three hours later…_

Red woke up with a start when a knocking on his door boomed through his own bedroom.

"Come in." he called out and sat up to greet his visitor. He had hoped to see Liz, coming to him after having a nightmare, but he hadn't expected Dembe, who was now standing in front of the bed.

"What happened? Have you taken care of the pets?"

"Yes, Raymond. But there is a problem."

"Which is?"

Dembe looked unsure of what or how to say what was on his mind.

"Come on, Dembe. I had an offsetting day and would like to get some sleep if you don't mind."

"It's Liz:" Dembe finally said.

"What about her?"

Now Red's interest was awoken and he was already out of bed and at his friend's side.

"She has locked herself in the bathroom."

"What?"

The confused look and the narrowed eyes gave Red a comical look, but Dembe didn't feel like laughing. "I came back from her flat about an hour ago and when I was preparing for bed, I heard strange noises from her bathroom. I decided to check on her and discovered that the light in the bathroom was on."

"So?"

"I waited for another ten minutes but nothing happened,"

Seeing Red's serious and penetrating look, Dembe hurried to continue.

"I didn't want to wake you in case it was nothing important. I knocked and she didn't answer. I tried to open the door but it was locked."

"For the love of….why haven't you picked the lock, Dembe?" Red's arms threw themselves upwards in frustration and he walked out of the door with Dembe hot on his heals.

"I think I heard crying." Dembe added as an explanation, which made Red stop in his tracks.

"Are you certain?"

"As I can be."

Red nodded, scratched the side of his head in deep thoughts and cleared his throat.

"I will go to her. Give us half an hour and then bring the tea I am always drinking before sleeping."

Dembe acknowledged his orders with a short nod and disappeared in direction of the kitchen.

Red didn't move immediately, but inhaled deeply and held his breath for a moment. Gathering his bearings and strength, he finally rubbed his hands against each other and went into Liz' room.

xxxxxxxxxxx

In contrast to Red, Liz hadn't woken up quickly. Despite of the nightmares plaguing her from the second she had closed her eyes, she had drifted into wakefulness slowly, still not sure if she was dreaming or back in reality, still scared that she was being attacked. She realized that she was whimpering and that sound was what had woken her up completely in the end. Her body was trembling and her heart was pounding in her chest. The breeze from the open window was hitting her sweaty skin and making her shiver. First, she couldn't move, her body not willing to listen to her pleading to get out of bed, but then finally her hand started to rise and her fingertips touched her cheek, where she felt gathered moisture.

_So weak…_crossed her mind but she shook her head to get rid of that thought. Slowly she slid back the cover and lowered her feet to the ground. Wanting to reach for her shoes, Liz bent down and winced when a sharp pain went through her ribs and she let the shoe she had managed to grasp fall out of her hand. With careful movements, she stood up and walked like on wet noodles into the bathroom.

The door shut behind her a bit louder than she had anticipated but she didn't care. With shaky hands, Liz got rid of her dress and looked at herself in the mirror. A bruise of the size of a honey melon adored her skin over her right ribs and she couldn't hold back her tears then. It wasn't that Rondell had tried to violate her. It may have been a horrible experience, but agreeing to stay on the task force, she had been aware of the dangers lurking out there. No, it wasn't that. It was the fact that every single man in her life, with only the exception of Sam, had been lying and using her. Most of them in a mental way but it was enough for Liz to feel desperate to escape into darkness. Between sobs, Liz laughed. Escape into darkness….never would she consider killing herself but there were other ways to simply live in a secluded and dark world. Her eyes grew big when she realized that she had started on this path already. Who was she able to trust? The only one she trusted was Red. The supposedly darkest man, she could find. Ressler and Aram had her trust in some ways, but she never would trust them with her heart.

Liz sobbed through her jumbled thoughts. Some made sense some didn't. It was just too much. Everything had built inside of her and now it broke out with a force she didn't know she was capable of.

Vaguely she became aware of a presence next to her and to her astonishmentm she wasn't the least bit startled. She recognized Red even in her state of distress and although she didn't rise her head, her heart was screaming for him to comfort her. When she felt the first contact, she felt warmth flood her, her body leaning towards it.

"I'm here, Lizzie. You're not alone."

The words were whispered in her hair and gave her a spark of hope. That maybe she really wasn't as alone as she felt.

It wasn't only her, though. No matter how many people Red had around him, there was always something missing in him and looking at Liz, touching her, made this void fill to the brim with happiness. Every single contact he made with her skin, even if it was for a tiny second, was electrocuting his heart and bringing it back to life. Every single time he was allowed and lucky enough to stand close to her and breath in the sweet scent of her shampoo, made him dizzy. And every single of her rare smiles made his stomach come alive with a thousand butterflies. He could admit to himself now, after years of ignoring it, that he had fallen in love with Elizabeth Keen. It had happened slowly and only after he had held her in his arms and comforted her, that he could put a finger on this by now foreign feeling.

He was aware as much as she was that a more intimate relationship would bring complications with it, but how much can a human being deny him or herself? How much is healthy and what is potentially the beginning of the end?

Red didn't know.

And even worse was, that Red was sure that Liz didn't know either.

tbc...

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><p>So, what do ya think= Enogh fluff? more fluff? Let me know:)<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Here we go with the next chapter:)

Halloween was great by the way;)

I guess you can expect one or two more chapters for this story and then I will work on something new:)

But for now I wish ya fun with the new chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

Red looked up from a still crying Liz, when Dembe nudged the door open and poked his head in.

"I brought the tea." He informed in a hushed voice.

"Thank you, Dembe. You can try getting some rest now. The day was not easy for any of us."

Dembe reluctantly backed out of the doorway, but before closing it, he took another lingering look at Liz and Red.

"I hope she'll feel better soon."

Seeing Red's smile, Dembe closed the door behind him and made his way to his own room.

Red's eyes were stuck to the closed door for a while and then he let his eyes fall shut, letting his head fall back against the tile wall.

"Thanks for being here, Red." Although still kind of weak, Liz' voice sounded sure and somehow calm. Red had to chuckle, seeing the paradox in front of him. Liz had still tears rolling down her cheeks, but her voice made him feel calmer and assured him that in the end, everything would be ok.

"My pleasure." He answered, trying not to add that he obviously wasn't doing this just for her own good but also his own peace of mind. "Do you want to tell me what made you hide in here? Dembe was really worried."

Liz chuckled, rising her head but not loosening her embrace.

"Was he the only one?"

"Oh Lizzie." Red sighed. "You have no idea how worried I was. Still am, for that matter." He huffed, when he noticed the look on her face. "Try not to look so obviously satisfied, darling."

The last tears dried on her skin and Red offered her a hand.

"Let's get up from this awfully hard floor, shall we?"

Reluctantly, but without further comment, Liz took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. They didn't want to move though. Something in her was rebelling against going back into the darkness, looming in the bedroom. The same darkness she had wished for only minutes ago.

"Talk to me." Red demanded, looking intently into her eyes.

"I…ehm…it's dark in there."

Red turned and glimpsed into the bedroom, which was in fact pitch black. His expression changed into a frown and with a quick movement, the lights went on and Liz' tension faded as quickly as the darkness in the room.

Pulling her to the bed, Red took a seat on it and patted the mattress next to him.

"Take a seat, sweetheart. Tell me about the nightmares."

Liz sighed and slowly let her tired body sit down, bending a knee and drawing it to her chest. A sure sign for Red that she would have loved to hide right now, instead of talking to him, but he needed her to open up, to trust him and tell him what he already assumed was wrong. He needed to hear it directly from her. Not wanting to pressure her too much though, he just sat there, displaying quiet support until she would be ready to talk.

And finally, his patience was rewarded by a quiet voice in his ear.

"I feel unworthy of being happy."

Red knew that this revelation must have cost Liz a lot of courage and he decided to take pity on her.

"Sweetheart, look at me." When she did he didn't smile at her but looked her steadily in the eyes and conveyed as much assurance as he could.

"The reason for every man in your life leaving you is not something you can blame yourself for. You have done nothing wrong. You have been thrust into this difficult future by birth and I have tried to minimize the dangers and traps along the way but Tom has slipped my radar, which I am terribly sorry for."

Liz only stared at him. She was now so close to the truth but she was sure that Red would once again not answer her question.

"Who am I, Red?"

"You are Elizabeth Keen. A beautiful, smart and kind person. This is all you should need to know about yourself."

"But it's not. I need to know more." Liz argued, twisting her body so that she could face Red easily. "Can't you understand that I need to know what happened in the past? Why this is all happening to me. Why can't you understand?"

Red cringed when her voice became louder and louder and he could once again make out tears glistening in her eyes.

"I do understand." He told her softly. "But I love you too much to endanger you in such a way."

Liz gasped. Love?

Red hadn't planned on telling her this, it had just slipped out. Now he wasn't sure how to precede. Liz' surprised expression told him that she hadn't expected anything like this from him, but he couldn't judge if she was happy about it or if she would ram another pen into his neck any minute.

"I will let you get some rest now. We can talk in the morning,"

Sometimes even a Raymond Reddington was taking the rout of retreat.

Before Liz had the chance to come to her senses, the door had already closed and the room felt empty and cold again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Liz was lying in her bed, not even trying to fall back asleep. How could Red drop such a bomb and just walk out? This was simply insane. Her thoughts were racing through her head, but she couldn't come up with a solution. Inhaling deeply from time to time, Liz threw herself from one side to the other and finally she stood up and marched out into the hall. She had enough of games being played with her emotions, her life and her mind. She had no idea what she wanted to do or say exactly, but this had to stop right now. With sure steps she walked to the next door and opened it without knocking or considering her actions.

Barging in, she hoped to see a quietly sleeping Red, but instead she was looking into a gun barrel and a stony faced Dembe.

"Whoa…" escaped her and she stepped back. "It's just me." She added, raising her arms to calm him down.

The arm with the gun was lowered and Dembe nodded.

"Raymond's room is down the hall on the left side."

Liz thanked him politely and was about to close the door when a thought crossed her mind, penetrating the shocked haze.

"Why do you think I want to find Red?"

Only a wise smile graced his lips and Liz closed the door quickly.

Leaving her hand squeezing the life out of the doorknob, Liz closed her eyes and shook her head at herself. _That's what one can call embarrassing._

"You should go there before you put down roots." Dembe's voice urged her through the door.

Immediately Liz let go of the doorknob as if it had burned her and walked down the hall, looking over her shoulder once or twice, to make sure Dembe wasn't following her. _What a strange man, _she thought, _even stranger than Red sometimes._

Reaching Red's bedroom door, this time she stopped before it and reminded herself of the step she was going to make and the consequences it might bring for her and Red. Thinking about them made her temperature rise with anger again and she opened the door, slipping into the room and shutting it with a click behind her.

To her surprise, the room wasn't dark and Red was anything but asleep. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he seemed to have been waiting for her.

"I assume you will not tell me the truth when I ask you if you heard Dembe and me?"

His grin was answer enough and she sighed.

"Take a seat." He offered, gesturing to the single chair. It irked her that he didn't want her to sit on the bed with him but she put on an indifferent mask and shuffled to the designated furniture. It wasn't comfortable. The edges were pressing into her thighs and it felt as if it was cutting off her blood flow, making her legs tingle and ache.

"It is four in the morning, Lizzie. Why would you not be sleeping?"

The urge to roll her eyes was overwhelming, but right before it could happen, Liz closed her eyes and collected her thoughts once more.

"I'd like to talk about our relationship, Red."

"Our relationship?"

She knew he was avoiding the answer by repeating her own words but she didn't expect anything less from him.

"Don't play dump, Red. You know what I am talking about and you know exactly that I will not forget what you've said."

"No, you wouldn't, would you?"

Liz was taken aback by the disappointment in his voice and it confused her.

"What's your problem, Raymond?" his name sounded strange coming from her lips and Red cringed slightly. It wasn't that he didn't want her to use his name, but the tone she used remembered him of his wife when she had been angry at him. Oh those fights they've had.

"You can't say something like…that…and just walk out and go to sleep."

"Who said I was sleeping?"

"That…that's not the point." Liz cried out and stood up, combing a hand through her tangled hair in frustration.

"Calm down."

Liz didn't know where the growl had come from but she knew it must have been uncharacteristic for her when Red's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"If you tell me one more time to calm down, I swear…"

"What? What will you do, Lizzie?" he challenged, standing up and crossing the floor to come to a halt right on front of her. "There is not much more you can do that could hurt me."

"I could simply disappear."

Red's burst of laughter angered her. What did he think? That she wouldn't be able to avoid him? To hide from him? Maybe he was right but she would do her best to try.

"My dear, Lizzie." Red laughed, "I live every day with the fear of losing you. Do you really believe that by going away on your own terms, you would hurt me more than the uncertainty I have to live with?" His face drew nearer and Liz gulped. "And do you really believe that I would not move heaven and earth to find you?"

When she didn't answer, Red turned away from her abruptly and went back to sitting down on his bed. "I know you are smarter than that."

Liz rubbed her hand over the scar on her wrist and the ring around her finger brushed against her skin. Tears shot into her eyes and she tried desperately to gulp them down, before speaking again.

"Has everything been a lie then?" She held her hand up, presenting the ring for Red to see. "Did you just play with me and tell me you loved me because…what? You wanted to study my reaction? Was everything as fake as our marriage?"

In a flash, Red was again standing in front of her, grasping her shoulders in his hands.

"That is not true." He told her. "I would not do that to you. I would not lie about this."

"How can I be sure?" Liz whispered, reaching out with one hand and enclosing his wrist in a strong grip.

"You will have to trust me."

For a moment both were silent, but then Liz made her decision which would alter both of their lifes.

"I cant'."

_Present day…_

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I do not."

Ressler shook his head in disbelieve and ruffled his hair with one hand in frustration.

"I don't know why you are making such a face." Liz commented, also shaking her head. "I thought you would be the first one to clap me on the back and telling me I did the right thing.

"I should, shouldn't?"

"Ehm…"

"Tell me how he reacted." Ressler demanded.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You are acting weird. You hate Red. You would never consent a relationship between us and yet you are acting as if you are disappointed."

Ressler rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"Will you continue now or should I go home?"

"Ok, ok…." Liz tried to placate his mood and sighed. "Well…there is not much more to tell to be honest, but I guess you just wanna hear me telling you how Red suffered because of my rejection. I have to disappoint you though. He took it with understanding and never lost his composer."

"And you?"

"Me?"

"Did you lie?"

"About what?"

"About not trusting him."

"Of course not."

tbc...

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><p>sorry for the ending:) It was just too tempting! Let me know what ya thing(not just about the ending;)<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Hi there...I think there was a slight misunderstanding. It wasn't the end of the story:) There still will come this chapter and an Epilogue. No panic;)

Alright, I was hurryiyng with this chapter so that you guys wouldnt be left too long with this mean ending in the last one:) SO here it comes, short but sweet:)

**Disclaimer:**Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

"I understand and will accept your decision." Red nodded and let go of her. She saw sadness in his eyes but in some degree there was also relief there and although it confused her, Liz didn't question it. Too much depended on his reaction.

"I will go back to my room now."

"Are you alright?"

No matter what relationship they were in, his concern for her would always warm her heart. Slowly Liz retreated from him and smiled.

"I will be. I am sure you will do everything in your power to help."

His eyes followed her and he chuckled.

"I guess I will do as much as your limited trust will allow me to do."

"That's all I can ask for."

They both nodded in agreement and Liz closed the door with a final thud. She had to gulp down tears of frustration with herself. Her heart was telling her to go back in that room and fling her arms around Red's neck, kissing the life out of him, but her brain said something completely different and for the first time in her life, she would listen solely to her brain. Choosing Tom with her heart, she had gotten burned and she didn't want another scar on her soul. The collection was big enough already.

The walk back to her room was slow and full of thoughts of what if's but in the end her decision made sense and was the only logical step she could have made.

Arriving in her room, Liz let herself fall on the bed and closed her eyes. With a little lamp emanating a soft glow through the darkness, she finally was able to fall asleep and dream of nothing.

The next morning came peacefully and also Liz' awakening was as peaceful as it hadn't been for months. Her eyelids slid open slowly and the soft rays of sun hit her eyes gently.

The knocking at her door, which must have woken her up in the first place, repeated and she called a sleepy "come in" in it's general direction.

"Good morning, Liz." Dembe poked his head in and looked at her expectantly. "May I come in?"

Liz sat up in the bed, combing one hand through her disheveled hair.

"Sure, if you don't mind me looking like a gorgon."

Dembe's crooked smirk showed her that he didn't mind and when he took a seat on the chair at the wall she knew that he was in her room to talk business.

"What is it, Dembe?"

"Did you talk to him?"

"If you by him mean Red, yes I did."

"And to what understanding have you come?"

For a moment Liz was considering if she should tell Dembe what was going on, but then she remembered who was actually sitting in front of her. If he wanted to find out what happened without her consent, he would simply go to Red and ask. For sure Red would be happy to share with his friend.

"I guess the easiest way to explain our situation is, that we both feel a certain degree of attraction but I chose the path of logic."

"So you turned him down."

Hearing it from someone else's mouth, it made her decision sound cruel, but she didn't waver.

"I did, indeed." The short answer wasn't enough and Dembe showed her as much by simply staring at her. "Look, I know it's crazy, but I have to admit that I am proud for going my own way. After Tom…I cant just trust another man like that again. Not yet. And Red…he is just….well, Red. You have to admit that our first encounter wasn't what someone would call a normal boy meets girl situation and what came after that was even weirder. He killed my father for Christ's sake."

"And yet you can't deny being attracted to him."

Liz swallowed hard.

"I can't." Her eyes darted to the edge of her blanket and stayed glued to it. "But I also don't want to hurt him and if I would agree to a relationship…I think I would have the potential to hurt both of us and leave irreparable wounds right now."

Dembe stood up, as if he had felt that this would be the end of her explanations. Slowly he walked to the door, but before opening it, he looked back at her and smiled.

"I appreciate your concern for Raymond's emotional wellbeing, Liz. That makes the wait more worth it."

Present day…

"Why did you think I spent the night with Rondell?"

Ressler cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders.

"The safe house you stayed in…it belonged to Rondell."

"What?" a genuine surprise showed on her face and Ressler couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman in front of him.  
>"I guess Rondell would have come after Red anyway." He told her and leaned his elbows on his knees, still looking at Liz. "Are you alright?"<br>Reaching out and patting Ressler's knee, Liz smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah. I guess the talk with Red helped more than I thought. "

"You can always come to me if something is bothering you and you don't feel comfortable talking to Reddington."

"Thank you."

Liz was surprised and happy to see Ressler accepting her complicated relationship with Red, but she strongly believed that she would never take him up on his offer, especially if the topic was Red.

"I've gotta go. Hudson and Snow-White are waiting for me."

Both agents stood up, Liz gathered her belongings and slowly they slandered to the elevator.

"How did you find out that Red gave you the kitten? He obviously didn't want you to know he was your Secret Santa."

"I have my ways." She snickered at him and waved goodbye when the door closed behind her, leaving Ressler in the hall, still deep in thoughts.

Meanwhile Liz arrived downstairs and walked out of the elevator to smile brightly at the person waiting for her at the corner.

"Hello sweetheart."

"Hi:"

"Did you have a fun time playing with Donny?"

Liz chuckled but tried to keep a straight face.  
>"Don't be mean, Red. He deserved an explanation."<p>

Red rolled his eyes and Liz couldn't help but find it cute.

"Instead of talking about Ressler, you should show me how glad you are to see me."

"I wouldn't dare to do so in the lions den."

A sarcastic tone tinted Red's voice and he straightened his back, taking his hat off.

"You know as well as I do that this part of the building doesn't have security cameras anymore." Liz smirked at him seductively and stepped right up to him, pressing her hands against his chest.

"C'mon, live a little."

Faster than she was able to blink, Red had her pinned against the concrete wall and was kissing her leisurely.

"Was that to your liking, my lady?" he asked when he finally tore his lips from hers.

"Oh well…" Liz whispered, batting her lashes at him. "I might do with one or two more."

"You just never can get enough." Red chuckled, a rumble in his chest making Liz shiver with desire.

"Not when I had to wait so long for it. Maybe we should take it somewhere more private after all." She said, resting her forehead against the lean shoulder in front of her.

Red's sigh ruffled her hair and she groaned when she felt his warmth step back from her. Straightening his suit, Red asked, "Did you tell him everything like discussed?"

Liz smiled wickedly at him, while they made their way to the exit.

"Every single word."

tbc...

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><p>So? Ya feel better guys? Let me know!<p>

P.S.

THanks for the reviews and follows and fav's makes me write faster;)


	13. Epilogue

Alright, here comes the last chapter!

I actually have been proud of myself to have been able to trick ya into worrying about them not getting together;) I know I am mean:)

At this point I'd like to thank you all so very much for sticking with this storry to the end and for reviewing so kindly! Without you guys, I guess I wouldnt write any stories!

I dont want to keep you waiting too long, so here comes the Epilogue:

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

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><p>Epilogue<p>

Three hours later…

"Where is Liz?"

Red huffed contently and dried his hands after washing some plates.

"I send her to borrow some movies to watch tonight. You are invited by the way."

"I'll pass." Dembe's answer was short but held amusement.

"What's that look for?" Red questioned, rolling his sleeves down and buttoning the cuffs neatly. He could see Dembe snickering inwardly and was sure that he wasn't finished yet. And he was right. Dembe followed Red into the living room and sat opposite him on a chair.

"What happened?"

"When?"

"A few days ago, today….I am out of the loop, I guess."

"So many questions…"

"With so many answers."

Red laughed, leaned back and made himself comfortable on the sofa.

"Obviously, Liz lied to Donald. We wouldn't want him to know too much. You can never know where his big mouth will open and the wrong things come out."

"I understand."

Red filled two glasses with alcohol and gave one of it to Dembe.

"I think Lizzie is one hell of an actress…if she sets her mind on it, of course."

Dembe nodded, taking a gulp from his glass. The curiosity was getting the better of him.

"What happened that night I told her to find you?"

Red breathed in deeply, smirked and swallowed the alcohol he had been twirling around in his mouth.

"Would you like me to tell you a story, Dembe?"

"If you'd like to."

"Well then, lean back, relax and enjoy…"

A few days ago…

Liz rubbed her hand over the scar on her wrist and the ring around her finger brushed against her skin. Tears shot into her eyes and she tried desperately to gulp them down, before speaking again.

"Has everything been a lie then?" She held her hand up, presenting the ring for Red to see. "Did you just play with me and tell me you loved me because…what? You wanted to study my reaction? Was everything as fake as our marriage?"

In a flash, Red was again standing in front of her, grasping her shoulders in his hands.

"That is not true." He told her. "I would not do that to you. I would not lie about this."

Liz pressed her eyes together and a tear escaped her eye.

"You once told me that you've never lied to me."

"And I wouldn't."

After a tense moment, in which Red felt his heart pounding right up to his throat, he finally registered that Liz was shyly smiling at him.

"You're smiling." A seldom occurrence since he had stepped into her live.

"I know I shouldn't trust you." She explained, tensely reaching out a hand to Red's, as if she was scared he wouldn't take it. "I also know that I should really listen to my brain telling me that this is a mistake. I love my job and I'd like to keep it." The smile broadened a bit. "But I also know that if I let this moment go…if I let you go…" she paused looking deeply into his now hopeful eyes. "I would break my own heart." When she saw Red's smile starting to form, she added, "I don't want to rob myself of the opportunity to experience this again. Cause I am scared that if I let this go now, I'll never be able to find a man with…"

"What?" Red had drawn nearer and his face was now hovering directly over hers, lips only a breath wide apart.

"…with such devotion and love for me. A man I equally admire, desire and…" their lips were almost meeting and both of them had their eyes closed, when Liz whispered the word both of them felt. "…love."

Their lips met, caressing each other in a slow and sensual rhythm and both of them were lost in each other. All thoughts disappeared and the only thing left were feelings.

Present day….

"I guess we will be seeing more of Agent Keen now, will we?" Dembe's amused voice threw Red out of his thoughts and he chuckled.

"I believe you are right, my friend."

"I am happy for you, Raymond."

Red's smile didn't waver for even a second, which was a wonder in itself, and he took another swallow from his glass.

"Thank you." His deep voice rumbled. "I expect you to catch up on the signature as the groomsman as soon as possible."

A loud laugh emitted from Dembe and he nodded.

"I will. Gladly."

The End

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><p>I am looking forward to read your opinions about the ending and the whole story in general:)<p>

I gotta tell ya that this is the first time I have no idea for a new story yet. So if someone has suggestions or wishes, dont shy away from writing a PM:)


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